Apelin is known to stimulate cholecystokinin (CCK) and inhibit insulin release, however the mechanisms on pancreatic secretion remain unclear. The present study aimed to determine the expression of apelin and apelin receptor in the pancreas by immunofluorescence studies and the effect of exogenous apelin on the secretion of pancreatic juice in anesthetized rats. Pancreatic-biliary juice (P-BJ) ...

BACKGROUND A drug delivery system specifically targeting endothelial cells (ECs) in tumors is required to prevent normal blood vessels from being damaged by angiogenesis inhibitors. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether apelin, a ligand for APJ expressed in ECs when angiogenesis is taking place, can be used for targeting drug delivery to ECs in tumors. METHODS AND RESULTS Uptak...

Apelin is a peptide originally isolated from bovine stomach tissue extracts and identified as an endogenous ligand of the APJ receptor; recent work showed that apelin ameliorates the ischemic injury in the heart and the brain. Being an analogue to the angiotensin II receptor, the apelin/APJ signaling may mediate angiogenesis process. We explored the noninvasive intranasal brain delivery method ...

OBJECTIVE Highlighting the apelin system would present a new therapeutic target for liver disease. Apelin; endogenous ligand for the orphan receptor APJ, was recently suggested to be associated with fibrosis progression and cirrhosis in addition to insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation. The present study was conducted to evaluate blood apelin level changes among 73 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) ...

OBJECTIVE Apelin is an adipokine which plays a role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and may contribute to the link between increased adipose tissue mass and obesity related metabolic diseases. Here we investigate the role of omental and subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissue apelin and its receptor APJ mRNA expression in human obesity and test the hypothesis that changes in circulating apeli...

The apelin receptor APJ belongs to the family of seventransmembrane domain receptors and is coupled to inhibitory G-proteins [1,2]. Apelin is synthesized as a 77 amino acid pre-pro-peptide that can be cleaved into fragments of different sizes that activate APJ [1,2]. Apelin peptides have been shown to affect many biological functions in mammals including the neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and ...

Pancreatitis is classified into acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). Apelin, a small regulatory peptide, is the endogenous ligand for the APJ receptor. Apelin and APJ are expressed in the pancreas. The aims of this study were to examine whether apelin influences the inflammatory and fibrosis responses to pancreatitis in mice and to identify mechanisms behind apelin's activitie...

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to establish the direct vascular effects of apelin in vivo in man. BACKGROUND Apelin is the endogenous ligand for the previously orphaned G-protein-coupled receptor, APJ. This novel pathway is widely expressed in the cardiovascular system and is emerging as an important mediator of cardiovascular homeostasis. In pre-clinical models, apelin causes venous and ...

BACKGROUND Apelin is an adipokine that plays a role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and in obesity. The relationship between apelin serum concentration and dysmetabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) is still controversial. Aims of our study are: 1) determine the circulating levels of apelin in a large cohort of Italian subjects with T2D, T1D and in non-diabetic controls; 2) ...

Apelin is hypothesized to serve a dual function in pain processing. Spinal administration of apelin induces hyperalgesia, while opioid receptors are implicated in the antinociceptive effects of apelin in acute nociceptive models. However, whether the apelin‑apelin receptor (APJ) system is involved in neuropathic pain remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact and m...