title: Cardioprotective Utility of Urocortin in Myocardial Ischemia- Reperfusion Injury: Where do We Stand?
abstract: There has been a constant pursuit for development of newer therapies which can contribute to the relatively nascent field of cardioprotection in the setting of myocardial ischemiareperfusion injury. One novel cardioprotective agent among others, that has shown promising results in the limited number of research studies undertaken till now, is Urocortin. Urocortins are peptides belonging to the Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone family.
  
  
  
  Acting through a variety of downstream mechanisms, urocortin has been shown to alter cellular metabolism and modulate the mechanism of cell death occurring as a result of ischemia-reperfusion injury. New evidence continues to accumulate in support of urocortin's beneficial role in cytoprotection.
  
  
  
  We present here an updated review largely focused on the various mechanisms through which urocortin alters cellular metabolism, and discuss the clinical potential of urocortin's cardioprotective ability in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.
authors.affiliation: Lenox Hill Hospital, North Shore LIJ Health System, New York, NY. United States.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Basman
authors.affiliation: St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, MI. United States.
authors.forename: Pratik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.affiliation: St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, MI. United States.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.affiliation: St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, MI. United States.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saravolatz
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center Department of Cardiology, Alabama. United States.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McRee
authors.affiliation: Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. United States.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen-Scarabelli
authors.affiliation: Mount Sinai Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. United States.
authors.forename: Jagat
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narula
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center Department of Cardiology, Alabama. United States.
authors.forename: Tiziano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Scarabelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000188:drug therapy; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D054832:Urocortins / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D054832:Urocortins
keywords: Urocortin; cell death; cellular metabolism; corticotropins; cytoprotection; ischemia-reperfusion; myocardial