Brattleboro rat adrenal contains vasopressin

Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is a neurohypophysial nonapeptide with antidiuretic activity involved in the control of blood volume and plasma osmolality. Recently, by immunological methods, the presence of AVP has been demonstrated in extrahypothalamic areas of the brain, in the spinal cord and in the ovary, testis and adrenal gland. The Brattleboro rat is regarded as having an autosomal recessively inherited lack of neurohypophysial vasopressin and its associated neurophysin. Since its discovery over 20 years ago this animal has been widely used in studies on the physiological role of vasopressin. We have recently investigated the presence of immunoreactive vasopressin and the related nonapeptide oxytocin in the adrenal glands of the human, rat and cow, and report here the isolation from the Brattleboro rat adrenal of material with similar immunological, physical and biological properties to synthetic vasopressin.