Urotensin II (Plasma, Serum) ELISA

Urotensin II can be found in the spinal cord tissue from many different species (fish,
vertebrae, primates) and probably plays a role there as a hormone in the neurosecretory
system. It acts like a peptide, consisting of 11 amino acids and the cyclic region
(CFWKYC), which is responsible for biological activity.
In 1999, urotensin II was first defined as a ligand for the GPR14 receptor, which belongs
to the somatostatin/opioid receptor family and, among other things, is expressed
in the endothel cells of the blood vessels.
In vitro diagnostics on isolated blood vessels have shown that urotensin II acts as
a vaso-constrictive “somatostatin-similar” peptide, nevertheless, the vaso-constrictive
capacity far exceeds that of the afore mentioned vaso-active substances, e.g.
endotheline 1, serotonin, noradrenalin or angiotensin II. Urotensin II shows overall
functional and regional differences in its effects depending on the species. At the
moment, there is still no generally agreed statement about the physiological role of
urotensin II on the heart-circulatory system.