Impaired arginine–vasopressin-induced aldosterone release from adrenal gland cells in mice lacking the vasopressin V1A receptor

We examined aldosterone release in response to stimulation with arginine–vasopressin (AVP) using adrenal gland cells. AVP caused a significant increase in aldosterone release from the dispersed adrenal gland cells of wild-type mice (V1AR+/+) at concentrations from 0.1 μM to 1 μM. In contrast, AVP-induced aldosterone release was impaired in adrenal gland cells from mice lacking the vasopressin V1A receptor (V1AR−/−), while adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-induced aldosterone release in V1AR−/− mice was not significantly different from that in V1AR+/+ mice. In addition, a vasopressin V1A receptor-selective antagonist 1-[1-[4-(3-acetylaminopropoxy)benzoyl]-4-piperidyl]-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinone (OPC-21268) potently inhibited AVP-induced aldosterone release. Thus, our study clearly demonstrates that AVP-induced aldosterone release from adrenal gland cells is mediated via the vasopressin V1A receptor in mice.