Effects of vasopressin-glycine and vasopressin-glycine-lysine-arginine on renal function in the rat.

The peptides vasopressin-Gly and vasopressin-Gly-Lys-Arg occur as part of the sequence of the vasopressin-neurophysin precursor molecule and may be released from the hypothalamus and/or pituitary. [8-Lysine]-vasopressin-Gly (LVP-Gly) and [8-lysine]-vasopressin-Gly-Lys-Arg were administered i.v. to conscious, water-diuretic rats. The renal effects of the peptides were assessed by comparison with the actions of [8-lysine]-vasopressin (LVP) which was administered to separate groups of rats. LVP-Gly and LVP-Gly-Lys-Arg were weakly antidiuretic. LVP-Gly-Lys-Arg was the more potent of the two peptides, but on a molar basis it only had about 10% of the antidiuretic activity of LVP. LVP-Gly and LVP-Gly-Lys-Arg at 10 pmol/h per 100 g body weight (equivalent to the maximal antidiuretic dose of LVP) slightly decreased (P less than 0.001) urine flow without causing significant changes in urine osmolality. LVP (10 pmol/h per 100 g body weight) promoted a marked natriuresis (P less than 0.001) but LVP-Gly and LVP-Gly-Lys-Arg were not natriuretic, even at the dose which was markedly antidiuretic (100 pmol/h per 100 g body weight). Osmolal output decreased at all doses during administration of the extended peptides, but was not significantly changed in the control group or by LVP. Inulin clearance was decreased by about 30% during administration of both LVP and LVP-Gly-Lys-Arg at 100 pmol/h per 100 g body weight.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)