Apelin, the endogenous ligand of the APJ receptor, has been identified in a variety of tissues, including stomach, heart, skeletal muscle, and white adipose tissue. We sought to clarify the effects of apelin on body adiposity and the expression of uncoupling proteins (UCPs) in C57BL/6 mice. Treatment with ip apelin at a dose of 0.1 mumol/kg.d for 14 d decreased the weight of white adipose tissu...

Various studies have shown that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has beneficial effects on obesity and associated disorders. Apelin, the ligand of APJ receptor also exerts insulin-sensitizing effects especially by improving muscle metabolism. EPA has been shown to increase apelin production in adipose tissue but its effects in muscle have not been addressed. Thus, the effects of EPA supplementation ...

Apelin-13 is extensively expressed in various tissues, particularly breast tissue. Apelin‑13 has been shown to promote tumor proliferation in various types of cancer, including hepatocellular, lung and ovarian cancer. However, the effect and molecular mechanism of apelin‑13 in breast cancer cells remains unclear. The present study investigated the effect of apelin‑13 on MCF‑7. Therefore, cell p...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the selective loss of motor neurons. Recent studies have implicated that chronic hypoxia and insufficient vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-dependent neuroprotection may lead to the degeneration of motor neurons in ALS. Expression of apelin, an endogenous ligand for the G protein-coupled receptor APJ, is...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The etiopathogenesis of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is not known completely. In most of the cases, CAE is associated with atherosclerosis; however, isolated CAE has a nonatherosclerotic mechanism. The association between atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and apelin has been examined in previous studies. However, the role of plasma apelin in isolated coronary ar...

Apelin was identified in 1998 as the endogenous ligand for the then orphan G-protein–coupled receptor, APJ, now renamed the apelin receptor. Widely expressed in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues, the apelin system participates in a diverse array of processes, including glucose metabolism, immune function, and fluid homeostasis. However, its principal physiological role seems to ...

Apelin is an endogenous depressor peptide for the G protein-coupled APJ receptor. Our hypothesis is that apelin is a venodilator, and it reduces mean circulatory filling pressure (MCFP; index of venous tone). Dose-response curves of apelin (10, 20 and 40 nmol/kg) or vehicle (0.9% NaCl) were constructed in two groups each of conscious, unrestrained rats: unblocked rats and rats pretreated with m...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Apelin-13 on cardiomyocyte autophagy and to determine the underlying mechanism of this effect. To establish an autophagic model system, the cardiomyocytes of Sprague Dawley rats (postnatal day 3) were cultured and divided into five groups: normal control (Co), glucose deprivation (GD), GD+Apelin-13, GD+Apelin-13 treated with the Akt-...

Wang C, Du JF, Wu F, Wang HC. Apelin decreases the SR Ca content but enhances the amplitude of [Ca ]i transient and contractions during twitches in isolated rat cardiac myocytes. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 294: H2540–H2546, 2008. First published April 18, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00046.2008.—Apelin has been reported to have a positive inotropic action in the isolated rat heart. However, ...

Currently, there is major interest in the functions of apelin-13, an endogenous ligand for the orphan G-protein coupled receptor APJ, a receptor that closely resembles the angiotensin receptor AT1. In the present study, the role of apelin-13 in angiogenesis and its mechanism as a novel angiogenic factor in myocardial microvascular endothelial cells (MMVECs) was investigated. It was revealed tha...