vasopressin--1-(1-mercaptocyclohexaneacetic-acid)-2-(o--methyl-l-tyrosine)-8-l-arginine- and argipressin-(4-9)

Previous work has demonstrated that arginine vasopressin (AVP), acting in the CNS, can maintain functional tolerance to ethanol. We now show that the AVP metabolite peptide, [pGlu4,Cyt6]arginine vasopressin-(4-9), also maintains ethanol tolerance, with a potency similar to that of arginine vasopressin, while nerve growth factor has only a marginal effect. The effects of these peptides on ethanol tolerance correlate with their previously described ability to induce expression of the proto-oncogene, c-fos, in the septum, a putative mechanism underlying peptide effects on neuroadaptive processes.

Topics: Animals; Arginine Vasopressin; Cerebral Cortex; Drug Tolerance; Ethanol; Gene Expression; Hippocampus; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nerve Growth Factors; Peptide Fragments; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos