Arginine vasotocin (AVT) is a nonmammalian analog of the mammalian hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP). These peptides are known for their antidiuretic and pressor effects. More recently, AVP has been recognized as an important antipyretic molecule in mammals. However, no information exists about the role of AVT in febrile ectotherms. We tested the hypothesis that AVT is an antipyretic molecule ...

Torsade de pointes, also called atypical ventricular tachycardia (AVT), was diagnosed in 10 patients, nine on antiarrhythmic therapy and one with acute central nervous system damage. Four patients received quinidine and five disopyramide, either alone or in combination with amiodarone. AVT was dose-dependent in some, but in others, it started shortly after initiation of drug therapy (idiosyncra...

Previous research suggests that considerable species-specific variation exists in the neuroanatomical distributions of arginine vasotocin (AVT) and mesotocin (MST), non-mammalian homologues of vasopressin and oxytocin. An earlier study in rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) indicated that the neuroanatomical distribution of cells labeled for AVT-immunoreactivity (ir) was greater in this uro...

Arginine vasotocin (AVT) is the non-mammalian homolog of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and, like vasopressin, serves as an important modulator of social behavior in addition to its peripheral functions related to osmoregulation, reproductive physiology, and stress hormone release. In amphibians and reptiles, the neuroanatomical organization of brain AVT cells and fibers broadly resembles that seen...

The acute effects of arginine vasotocin (AVT), a putative pineal peptide, on plasma levels of prolactin were investigated in the unanesthetized, estrogen-progesterone-treated male rat. A 10-microgram s.c. injection resulted in significantly increased levels of prolactin while a 1-microgram injection depressed plasma levels of this hormone; an inhibition of release was further suggested by incre...

Intra and interspecific comparisons of arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homolog arginine vasopressin (AVP) demonstrate several relationships between these neuropeptides and aggression/dominance behaviors. Prior studies in coral reef butterflyfishes and other fishes indicate that features of AVT neurons in the gigantocellular preoptic area (gPOA) and axon varicosities within the ventra...

The influence of arginine vasotocin (AVT) on osmoregulation and metabolism in gilthead sea bream Sparus auratus was evaluated by two experimental approaches. In the first, seawater (SW, 36 ppt)-acclimatized fish were injected intraperitoneally with vehicle (vegetable oil) or two doses of AVT (0.5 and 1 microg/g body weight). Twenty-four hours later, eight fish from each group were sampled; the ...

Pupfishes in the Death Valley region of California and Nevada comprise a monophyletic group of populations that became isolated in remote streams and springs over the past 20,000 years. These aquatic habitats show considerable ecological diversity, and allopatric populations have evolved differences in morphology and behavior. Here we investigated whether the divergence of pupfish populations i...

A number of studies have reported that atorvastatin (AVT) may have an important role in the delay of cardiac aging. However, the mechanism by which AVT affects cardiac aging has not been established. In this study, a series of experiments were performed to investigate the effects of AVT treatment on the cardiovascular system and the associated mechanism. Wistar rats were administered AVT or sal...

Male songbirds often establish territories and attract mates by singing, and some song features can reflect the singer's condition or quality. The quality of the song environment can change, so male songbirds should benefit from assessing the competitiveness of the song environment and appropriately adjusting their own singing behavior and the neural substrates by which song is controlled. In a...