UDC

612.62+612.06

DOI

10.17238/issn2542-1298.2019.7.1.106

Authors

Viktor I. Tsirkin*/**, Svetlana I. Trukhina*, Andrey N. Trukhin*
*Vyatka State University (Kirov, Russian Federation)
**Kazan State Medical University (Kazan, Russian Federation)

Abstract

Vasopressin is in many respects similar to oxytocin in its structure and uterostimulating effect. This review reports on the production of vasopressin and its metabolism, as well as on three types of vasopressin receptors (V_1A, V_1B and V₂) and their association with the corresponding G-proteins. Data are provided on the physiological effects of vasopressin depending on the receptor activated, as well as on vasopressin receptor agonists and antagonists. Further, the paper reports on the ability of oxytocin to exert a stimulating effect not only by activating oxytocin receptors of uterine myocytes, but also by activating V_1A and V₂ receptors. By activating V_1A receptors, vasopressin, like oxytocin, increases the contractile activity of isolated myometrium in animals (rats, mice, rabbits and monkeys) and humans. In the myometrium of nonpregnant women, the uterostimulating effect of vasopressin is much greater than that of oxytocin. This gives grounds for individual authors to assert that vasopressin, activating V_1A receptors, is the main cause of primary dysmenorrhea. In the myometrium of pregnant women, V₁ receptors are detected starting from week 32. Their number stays unchanged until delivery, while the concentration of oxytocin receptors increases in late pregnancy, reaching the maximum values in the first hours of spontaneous delivery. This indicates that it is the oxytocin-oxytocin receptor system, not the vasopressin-vasopressin receptor system, that is directly related to labour induction. In general, the literature data allow us to conclude that vasopressin along with oxytocin can participate in the regulation of uterine contractile activity (UCA) and that the share of these two peptides in UCA regulation depends on the stage of reproduction.

Keywords

oxytocin, oxytocin receptors, vasopressin, vasopressin receptors, uterine contractile activity, myometrium, vasopressin receptor agonists, vasopressin receptor antagonists

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