N. Holt, K. Haspel
Apr 1, 2010
Citations
1
Influential Citations
38
Citations
Journal
Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
Abstract
ASOPRESSIN (VP) WAS DISCOVERED in 1895 from the extract of the posterior pituitary and named for the early observation of its vasoconstrictive properties. 1 The peptide is present in various species, both invertebrate and vertebrate, with only minor variations in amino acid sequence. Human VP contains the amino acid arginine, hence the name arginine vasopressin. It is alternatively referred to as antidiuretic hormone (ADH), reflecting its main physiologic function in promoting water retention. (For the remainder of the text, the term vasopressin and the abbreviation VP will be used in lieu of arginine vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone.) Since its isolation 2 and synthetic preparation, 3 VP has been the subject of much research. Its clinical applications range from the management of enuresis to the treatment of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, septic shock, cardiac arrest, and heart failure. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the physiology and pharmacology of this hormone and its various functions. As with much in medicine, the discovery of disease states involving VP and/or its receptors has offered the most insight into VP’s in vivo role and functional repertoire. As such, an appraisal of these conditions will be used to review current knowledge and clinical applications of VP and its synthetic agonists and antagonists. Unanswered questions and future research opportunities will then be summarized.