Receptor Antagonist Urantide on Rat Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

We investigated the eff ects of urantide, a receptor antagonist of urotensin II (U-II), on the expression of U-II and its receptor GPR in rat vascular smooth muscle cells. Vascular smooth muscle cells from rat thoracic aorta were cultured by explant method. Subjects in this experiment were divided into eight groups: normal control group (group C), U-II group (group M), positive control group (Flu group) and urantidetreated groups (-, -, -, - and - mol/L). Cultured vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro were studied by immunocytochemistry, biochemistry, and fl ow cytometry. U-II (- mol/L) promoted the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells at each time point, infl uenced cell cycle, increased proliferation index and S-phase cell fraction, and dramatically promoted the expression of U-II and GPR. In the concentration range from - to - mol/L, urantide dramatically inhibited the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and the protein expression of U-II and GPR, especially at a concentration of - mol/L. U-II, binding with its receptor GPR, promotes vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation and migration, which can be inhibited by urantide. Th is study provides an evidence for understanding the eff ects of U-II and its receptor GPR on vascular smooth muscle cells. ©  Association of Basic Medical Sciences of FB&H. All rights reserved