Calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) has a key role in migraine and recently CGRP receptor antagonists have demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of migraine. However, it remains unclear where the CGRP receptors are located within the CGRP signaling pathway in the human trigeminal system and hence the potential antagonist sites of action remain unknown. Therefore we designed a study...

RIA of nonpregnant rat uterus extracts showed 0.68 +/- 0.08 pmol/g adrenomedullin (ADM) and 3.23 +/- 0.08 pmol/g calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). In the pregnant (20 days gestation) uterus, the ADM content was 0.90 +/- 0.17 pmol/g, and CGRP could not be detected. ADM messenger RNA was detected at high levels in the uterus, with a 1.8-fold increase in expression in pregnancy. Pharmacologi...

OBJECTIVES Sensory nerve fibres (NFs) contain two major neuropeptides, substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). The pro-inflammatory role of SP is known, while CGRP has anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting T helper type 1 cytokines, TNF secretion and leucocyte proliferation. We demonstrated the increase of SP-positive NFs in RA as compared with OA. This study investiga...

Objective(s) Recent studies on human indicate that the introduction of therapeutic use of tolerogenic dendritic cell (DC) for chronic inflammatory conditions is imminent. For the purpose of defining CGRP potency in tolerogenic DC production, we investigated the phenotype and IL-'2 production of DCs generated from the monocytes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in the presence of the calcit...

A neuropeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), is widely distributed in neuronal systems and exhibits numerous biological activities. Using CGRP-knockout mice (CGRP(-/-)), we examined whether or not endogenous CGRP facilitates angiogenesis indispensable to tumor growth. CGRP increased tube formation by endothelial cells in vitro and enhanced sponge-induced angiogenesis in vivo. Tumor g...

Objective To review the role of CGRP in human models of primary headaches and to discuss methodological aspects and future directions. Discussion Provocation experiments demonstrated a heterogeneous CGRP migraine response in migraine patients. Conflicting CGRP plasma results in the provocation experiments are likely due to assay variation; therefore, proper validation and standardization of an ...

The effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on the cyclic nucleotide level in isolated mouse diaphragm was investigated. CGRP at concentrations of up to 1 microM caused dose-dependent increases in cyclic AMP levels but had no effect on cyclic GMP levels. At 1 microM, CGRP increased cyclic AMP levels by about 2.7-fold. Moreover, in the presence of phosphodiesterase inhibitor (Ro 20-1724...

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37 amino acid vasoactive neuropeptide that is widely distributed in central and peripheral nervous systems in mammals. CGRP was discovered in 1982 by molecular cloning of calcitonin (CT) gene. CGRP-specific mRNA appears to predominate in the hypothalamus while CT mRNA predominates in the thyroid. CGRP has an amphiphilic α-helical secondary structure i...

The contribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to bilateral oedema formation in the rat hindpaw following an unilateral challenge with CGRP was investigated. Rats were injected into the left hindpaw with either saline, CGRP or a CGRP antagonist (CGRP8-37). All injections were given in a double blind fashion and in a volume of 100 microl. CGRP and CGRP8-37 were administered in concen...