[Quantitative variation of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and its receptor in rat liver during development]

Accumulated data have suggested that vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and corresponding receptor (VIPR) are involved in the development of hematopoietic stem cells and liver growth. In the present study, radioimmunoassay, biomolecular interaction analysis and reverse transcriptation polymerase chain reaction were used to quantify VIP, VIPR and detect the subtype of VIPR in rat liver during development. VIP concentration of liver in fetal or neonatal rats was significantly lower than that of teens or adult rats (P<0.05). The binding capacities of VIPR in liver of immature rats were much greater than that of the adult rats (P<0.05). The tendency of change in VIP concentration was contrary to that of the binding capacity of VIPR in the liver of rats during development. VIPR-1 was expressed in rat liver in all phases of development. These results may be of benefit to the understanding of the mechanisms of liver growth and fetal liver hemopoiesis shift.