ABSTRACT
The antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a nonapeptide released from the posterior pituitary gland in response to a small (1%) increase of plasma osmolality and/or larger decreases of arterial blood pressure and cardiopulmonary blood volume. AVP regulates free water reabsorption, body fluid osmolality, blood volume, blood pressure, cell contraction, cell proliferation, and ACTH secretion via the stimulation of specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) currently classified into V1 vascular, V2 renal, and V3 pituitary subtypes having distinct pharmacological profiles and intracellular second messengers.1
