Apelin decreases the SR Ca~(2+) content but enhances the amplitude of (Ca~(2+)) transient and contractions during twitches in isolated rat cardiac myocytes

摘要

apelin, an endogenous ligand for apelin-angiotension receptor-like 1, was first isolated from the bovine stomach in 1998 (49). Now we know that apelin and its receptor are highly expressed in many tissues throughout the body, including the nervous system, vascular endothelium, heart, lung, and kidney (13, 14, 23, 26, 28, 31, 34, 41). The peptide has also been shown to be involved in the regulation of the immune system (20), nerve signal (40), hemodynamic homeostasis (15,42,47), and human immunodeficiency virus infection (9, 56). The presence of apelin and its receptors in the heart and blood vessels suggests that this peptide may have a role in the cardiovascular system. Intravenous injection of apelin in anesthetized rats decreases blood pressure (28), mediated by a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism (50).