BACKGROUND: Urotensin II (UTN) is a peptide highly conserved across species with disparate effects on the vascular system and it is currently unclear whether high plasma UTN levels play a vasculotoxic or a vasculoprotective role. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the relationship between plasma UTN and sympathetic activity and cardiac natriuretic hormones in 191 hemodialysis (HD) patients without clinical evidence of heart failure. RESULTS: Plasma UTN was significantly higher in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (median: 6.5 ng/mL) than in age matched healthy subjects (median: 3.1 ng/mL) (p<0.001). On univariate analysis, UTN was inversely related to heart rate (r=-0.24), dialysis treatment duration (r=-0.27), norepinephrine (r=-0.28), neuropeptide Y (NPY) (r=-0.66), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) (r=-0.41) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) (r=-0.28) (all p<0.008). Of note, in multiple regression analyses these associations maintained strength similar to that of the corresponding unadjusted correlation coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: The inverse links between UTN and neuro-hormonal factors indicate that UTN down-regulation in the presence of high sympathetic activity and high BNP could be a counter-regulatory response aimed at mitigating cardiovascular (CV) damage or that UTN itself acts as a protective factor.
BACKGROUND:Urotensin II (UTN) is a peptide highly conserved across species with disparate effects on the vascular system and it is currently unclear whether high plasma UTN levels play a vasculotoxic or a vasculoprotective role. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the relationship between plasma UTN and sympathetic activity and cardiac natriuretic hormones in 191 hemodialysis (HD) patients without clinical evidence of heart failure. RESULTS: Plasma UTN was significantly higher in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (median: 6.5 ng/mL) than in age matched healthy subjects (median: 3.1 ng/mL) (p<0.001). On univariate analysis, UTN was inversely related to heart rate (r=-0.24), dialysis treatment duration (r=-0.27), norepinephrine (r=-0.28), neuropeptide Y (NPY) (r=-0.66), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) (r=-0.41) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) (r=-0.28) (all p<0.008). Of note, in multiple regression analyses these associations maintained strength similar to that of the corresponding unadjusted correlation coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: The inverse links between UTN and neuro-hormonal factors indicate that UTN down-regulation in the presence of high sympathetic activity and high BNP could be a counter-regulatory response aimed at mitigating cardiovascular (CV) damage or that UTN itself acts as a protective factor.