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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Two-photon Imaging of Intracellular Ca2+ Handling and Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial and Smooth Muscle Cells of an Isolated Rat Aorta
Published on: June 10, 2015
Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide-like immunoreactivity and its regulation in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle
Geoffrey E Woodard1, Juan A Rosado, John Brown
1Department of Physiology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EG, Cambridge, UK. geoffreyw@intra.niddk.nih.gov
Abstract:
Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide (DNP) is a recently isolated 38 amino acid peptide that shares structural and functional properties with the other members of the natriuretic peptide family. The present study demonstrates the presence of DNP-like immunoreactivity in sections of rat aorta, carotid artery and renal vasculature and tubules. DNP-like immunoreactivity was detected in culture aortic vascular smooth muscle cells and medium and is regulated by endothelin-1, angiotensin II and sodium nitroprusside but not by transforming growth factor-beta. Our observations indicate that DNP elicits a marked inhibitory effect on DNA synthesis in culture rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells.
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