1.Oxytocin-induced endothelial nitric oxide dependent vasorelaxation and ERK1/2-mediated vasoconstriction in the rat aorta
Qian XU ; Kunping ZHUO ; Xiaotian ZHANG ; Yaoxia ZHANG ; Jiaojiao XUE ; Ming-Sheng ZHOU
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2022;26(4):255-262
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide produced primarily in the hypothalamus and plays an important role in the regulation of mammalian birth and lactation. It has been shown that oxytocin has important cardiovascular protective effects. Here we investigated the effects of oxytocin on vascular reactivity and underlying the mechanisms in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro and in rat aorta ex vivo. Oxytocin increased phospho-eNOS (Ser 1177) and phospho-Akt (Ser 473) expression in HUVECs in vitro and the aorta of rat ex vivo. Wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), inhibited oxytocin-induced Akt and eNOS phosphorylation. In the rat aortic rings, oxytocin induced a biphasic vascular reactivity: oxytocin at low dose (10-9–10