Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, 76230 Querétaro, Mexico.
Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2012 May 1;176(3):336-40. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.12.033. Epub 2012 Jan 5.
The hormone prolactin (PRL), fundamental for lactation in mammals, is known to exert a wide diversity of actions in the various vertebrate groups. Blood vessels are surfacing as important PRL targets, contributing to these hormonal functions. PRL promotes the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and is proteolytically cleaved to vasoinhibins, a family of peptides (including 16-kDa PRL) with potent antiangiogenic and blood vessel regression effects. These opposing actions point to the regulation of the proteases responsible for PRL cleavage as an efficient way to balance blood vessel growth and involution. This review briefly summarizes the effects of PRL and vasoinhibins on blood vessels in mammals and discusses whether similar vascular actions could contribute to the effects of PRL on the development, growth, and reproduction of lower vertebrates. A comparative study in diverse species may lead to a better understanding of blood vessels as a driving force for the biological actions of PRL.
催乳素（PRL）是哺乳动物泌乳所必需的激素，已知其在各种脊椎动物中发挥着广泛的作用。血管作为重要的 PRL 靶标出现，为这些激素功能做出贡献。PRL 促进新血管的生长（血管生成），并被蛋白水解酶切割成血管抑制素，这是一种具有强大抗血管生成和血管退化作用的肽家族（包括 16kDa PRL）。这些相反的作用表明，调节负责 PRL 切割的蛋白酶是平衡血管生长和退化的有效方法。这篇综述简要总结了 PRL 和血管抑制素对哺乳动物血管的作用，并讨论了类似的血管作用是否有助于 PRL 对低等脊椎动物发育、生长和繁殖的影响。对不同物种的比较研究可能会更好地理解血管作为 PRL 生物学作用的驱动力。
