Chronic effects of neuroendocrine regulatory peptide (NERP-1 and -2) on insulin secretion and gene expression in pancreatic β-cells.

Neuroendocrine regulatory peptides (NERP-1 and -2) are novel amidated peptides derived from VGF, a polypeptide secreted from neurons and endocrine cells through a regulated pathway. Dr. Nakazato Masamitsu reported that NERP-1 and -2 may have a local modulator function on the human endocrine system, and clearly showed expression of NERP-1 and -2 in human pancreas islets.

Rikkunshito ameliorates bleomycin-induced acute lung injury in a ghrelin-independent manner.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a critical syndrome consisting of acute respiratory failure associated with extensive pulmonary infiltrates. The pathological characterization of ALI includes injuries of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), alveolar neutrophilic infiltration, and increases in proinflammatory cytokines, which cause destruction of the alveolar capillary barrier and subsequent devastating lung fibrosis. Rikkunshito (RKT), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, is widely used for the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and is known to stimulate ghrelin secretion.

Excretion of urinary exosomal AQP2 in rats is regulated by vasopressin and urinary pH.

Urinary exosomes are small vesicles secreted into urine from all renal epithelial cell types and known to contain proteins that are involved in renal secretion and reabsorption. Among these proteins, urinary exosomal aquaporin-2 (AQP2) has been suggested to be useful for diagnosis of renal disease. However, the mechanisms underlying the excretion of urinary exosomal AQP2 are largely unknown.

Activation of renal angiotensin type 1 receptor contributes to the pathogenesis of progressive renal injury in a rat model of chronic cardiorenal syndrome.

Although chronic cardiac dysfunction is known to progressively exacerbate renal injury, a condition known as type 2 cardiorenal syndrome (CRS), the mechanism responsible is largely unknown. The present study was undertaken to clarify the mechanism of renal injury in rats with both unilateral nephrectomy (NX) and surgically induced myocardial infarction (MI), corresponding to a model of type 2 CRS. Compared with a control group, rats with both MI and NX (MI+NX) exhibited progressive proteinuria during the experimental period (34 wk after MI surgery), whereas proteinuria was not observed in rats with MI alone and was moderate in rats with NX alone.

Neuroendocrine regulatory peptide-2 regulates feeding behavior via the orexin system in the hypothalamus.

Neuroendocrine regulatory peptide (NERP)-1 and NERP-2 are derived from distinct regions of VGF, a neurosecretory protein. Vgf(-/-) mice exhibit dwarfism and hypermetabolic rates, suggesting that VGF or VGF-derived peptides play important roles in energy metabolism. Here, we examined the role of NERPs in the central regulation of feeding and energy homeostasis.

Angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory peptide derived from porcine skeletal muscle myosin and its antihypertensive activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Crude myosin light chain was extracted from Japanese domestic pork loin and digested with pepsin. Antihypertensive peptide was isolated from this digest as a measure of its inhibitory activity for angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE). Through isolation with some chromatographies, a single active fraction was isolated, and it was detected as an octapeptide, Val-Lys-Lys-Val-Leu-Gly-Asn-Pro, from 47th to 54th positions of myosin light chain.