Urocortin (human) (trifluoroacetate salt)

Urocortin is a neuropeptide hormone and member of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family which includes mammalian CRF , urocortin II , urocortin III , frog sauvagine, and piscine urotensin I. Human urocortin shares 95% sequence homology with rat urocortin . Urocortin binds to type 1 and 2 CRF receptors as well as CRF binding protein (CRF-BP) with Ki values of 0.41, 1.8, 1.5, and 0.22 nM for human CRF1, rat CRF2α, mouse CRF2β, and human CRF-BP, respectively. It induces cAMP production in CHO cells expressing human CRF1, rat CRF2α, and mouse CRF2β receptors (EC50s = 0.22, 0.32, and 0.13 nM, respectively). Urocortin induces secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by rat anterior pituitary cells in a concentration-dependent manner, an effect that can be inhibited by human CRF-BP. It inhibits migration and proliferation of human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and reduces LDL-induced foam cell formation in vitro. In vivo, urocortin slows development of aortic atherosclerotic lesions in Apoe-/- mice. Urocortin also decreases food intake in food-deprived and non-deprived rats as well as water intake in water-deprived rats in a dose-dependent manner.