Kozniewska E, Romaniuk K
Laboratory of Experimental Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Mossakowski Medical Research Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
J Physiol Pharmacol. 2008 Dec;59 Suppl 8:109-16.
It is well known that vasopressin participates in the regulation of the cardiovascular system, water electrolyte balance and many functions of the central nervous system. Receptors for vasopressin are widely distributed throughout the brain. They are present in neurons, in astrocytes and their perivascular processes, in endothelial and smooth muscle cells of blood vessels and in choroid plexus. Such a location suggests that vasopressin may participate in the regulation of vascular resistance in cerebral circulation and water homeostasis in the brain. Present review of the data published on this subject suggests that endogenous vasopressin is involved in brain pathology rather than in physiological regulations. Numerous studies have shown increased release of vasopressin and expression of vasopressin receptors in the brain following ischemia, trauma or subarachnoid hemorrhage in patients and in animal models of these diseases. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that antagonists of vasopressin V(1a) receptors are able to alleviate brain edema and spastic changes in blood vessels after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Vasopressin is also implicated in brain edema and in impairment of cerebral vasculature in hypo-osmotic states. The discussed results suggest that vasopressin V(1a) receptors antagonists may be a useful tool for the treatment of some states associated with cerebrovascular pathology.
众所周知，血管加压素参与心血管系统调节、水电解质平衡以及中枢神经系统的多种功能。血管加压素受体广泛分布于整个大脑。它们存在于神经元、星形胶质细胞及其血管周围突起、血管内皮和平滑肌细胞以及脉络丛中。这样的分布位置表明血管加压素可能参与脑循环中血管阻力的调节以及脑内水稳态的维持。目前对该主题已发表数据的综述表明，内源性血管加压素与脑部病理状态有关，而非参与生理调节。大量研究表明，在患者以及这些疾病的动物模型中，缺血、创伤或蛛网膜下腔出血后，大脑中血管加压素的释放增加以及血管加压素受体的表达增加。此外，已经证明血管加压素V(1a)受体拮抗剂能够减轻蛛网膜下腔出血后的脑水肿和血管痉挛变化。血管加压素还与低渗状态下的脑水肿和脑血管损伤有关。所讨论的结果表明，血管加压素V(1a)受体拮抗剂可能是治疗某些与脑血管病理相关状态的有用工具。
