Urocortin II is a neuropeptide hormone and member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family which includes mammalian CRF, urocortin , urocortin III , frog sauvagine, and piscine urotensin I.1 Human urocortin II shares 34, 43, and 37-40% sequence homology with rat and human CRF, human urocortin , and human urocortin III . Urocortin II increases cell shortening and accelerates relaxation of rabbit ventricular myocytes in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. In vivo, urocortin reduces arterial blood pressure in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats via peripheral CRF2 receptor agonism. It induces dose-dependent tachycardia and hypotension in rats when administered at doses of 3 and 30 pmol/kg.2 Urocortin (10 and 20 μg/kg) also reduces the visceral pain response to colorectal distension in conscious rats and delays gastric emptying in mice.1,3
1.Ad?o, R., Santos-Ribeiro, D., Rademaker, M.T., et al.Urocortin 2 in cardiovascular health and diseaseDrug Discov. Today20(7)906-914(2015) 2.Gardiner, S.M., March, J.E., Kemp, P.A., et al.Regional hemodynamic actions of selective corticotropin-releasing factor type 2 receptor ligands in conscious ratsJ. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.312(1)53-60(2005) 3.Million, M., Wang, L., Wang, Y., et al.CRF2 receptor activation prevents colorectal distension induced visceral pain and spinal ERK1/2 phosphorylation in ratsGut55(2)172-181(2006)