ABSTRACT
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a 28-amino acid neuropeptide with diverse physiological properties. The intention of this review is to elaborate the properties of VIP in the context of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury, and discuss the results of a few experiments to demonstrate its cardioprotective role. The beneficial effects of VIP on lung preservation were attributed to many factors, including the free radical-scavenging activity of VIP. Among neuropeptides that may be involved in the regulation of myocardial function, VIP probably possesses the most marked influence on coronary circulation in the regulation of vascular tone. The scientific community has witnessed the development of the concept of ischemia reperfusion injury associated with the revascularization of ischemic tissue in a relatively short time. Evidence in the literature supports that a large quantity of oxygen free radicals are generated in the postischemic heart upon reperfusion. VIP possesses free-radical scavenging properties in in-vivo systems.
