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Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Isolation of Intrapulmonary Artery and Smooth Muscle Cells to Investigate Vascular Responses
Published on: June 8, 2022
Regulation of blood vessels by prolactin and vasoinhibins
Carmen Clapp1, Stéphanie Thebault, Yazmín Macotela
1Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, 76230, Querétaro, QRO, México, clapp@unam.mx.
Abstract:
Prolactin (PRL) stimulates the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) either directly through actions on endothelial cells or indirectly by upregulating proangiogenic factors like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Moreover, PRL acquires antiangiogenic properties after undergoing proteolytic cleavage to vasoinhibins, a family of PRL fragments (including 16 kDa PRL) with potent antiangiogenic, vasoconstrictive, and antivasopermeability effects. In view of the opposing actions of PRL and vasoinhibins, the regulation of the proteases responsible for specific PRL cleavage represents an efficient mechanism for controlling blood vessel growth and function. This review briefly describes the vascular actions of PRL and vasoinhibins, and addresses how their interplay could help drive biological effects of PRL in the context of health and disease.
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