Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 3, 2026

Intravital Microscopy of the Inguinal Lymph Node
Published on: April 4, 2011
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) provokes vaginal lubrication in normal women
B Ottesen1, B Pedersen, J Nielsen
1Institute of Medical Physiology B, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Abstract:
The human vagina is known to be heavily innervated by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) immunoreactive nerve fibres. In the present study we have examined the effect of VIP (900 pmol x kg-1 x h-1, IV during 30 min) on vaginal lubrication and blood flow in fourteen normal non-pregnant women. Vaginal blood flow was measured by the heat clearance technique and the vaginal lubrication quantified by the weight gain of preweighed filter papers placed on the surface of the vaginal wall for 30 min. Arterial blood pressure, pulse frequency and the concentration of VIP in peripheral blood were monitored. VIP (median concentrations of 200-300 pmol x l-1) induced a significant increase in vaginal blood flow accompanied by a 100% increase in vaginal lubrication (from 27 mg/cm2 to 53 mg/cm2). The VIP infusion lead to a significant increase in pulse frequency and a significant fall in diastolic arterial blood pressure. The findings suggest that VIP may participate in the control of the local physiological changes observed during sexual arousal: genital vasodilation and increase in vaginal lubrication.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Secretory Vesicles
Various proteins regulate the aggregation of molecules inside the secretory vesicles. Chromogranins...
Surface Membrane Barriers
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Drugs for Peptic Ulcer Disease: Prostaglandin Analogs as Mucosal Protective Agents
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can induce peptic ulcers by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, decreasing...
Drugs for Treatment of Constipation-Predominant IBS
External Female Genitals
Vagina

