title: Aquaporins, vasopressin, and aging: current perspectives.
abstract: Functioning of the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal-vasopressin axis is altered in aging, and the pathway may represent a plausible target to slow the process of aging. Arginine vasopressin, a nine-amino acid peptide that is secreted from the posterior pituitary in response to high plasma osmolality and hypotension, is central in this pathway. Vasopressin has important roles in circulatory and water homoeostasis mediated by vasopressin receptor subtypes V1a (vascular), V1b (pituitary), and V2 (vascular, renal). A dysfunction in this pathway as a result of aging can result in multiple abnormalities in several physiological systems. In addition, vasopressin plasma concentration is significantly higher in males than in females and vasopressin-mediated effects on renal and vascular targets are more pronounced in males than in females. These findings may be caused by sex differences in vasopressin secretion and action, making men more susceptible than females to diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases, and urolithiasis. Recently the availability of new, potent, orally active vasopressin receptor antagonists, the vaptans, has strongly increased the interest on vasopressin and its receptors as a new target for prevention of age-related diseases associated with its receptor-altered signaling. This review summarizes the recent literature in the field of vasopressin signaling in age-dependent abnormalities in kidney, cardiovascular function, and bone function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, and Biopharmaceutics (G.T., G.V.), University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Biostrutture e Biosistemi (G.T., G.V.), 00136 Roma, Italy; Gravitational Physiology and Medicine Research Unit (N.G., J.R.), Institute of Physiology, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria; Department of Medicine (N.G.D.S.), Second University of Naples, 80138 Naples, Italy; and Centro di Eccellenza di Genomica (G.V.) Campo Biomedico Ed Agrario, University of Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Grazia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tamma
authors.forename: Nandu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goswami
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reichmuth
authors.forename: Natale G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: De Santo
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valenti
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020346:Aquaporins; D014667:Vasopressins