Title:Cardioprotective Utility of Urocortin in Myocardial Ischemia- Reperfusion Injury: Where do We Stand?
VOLUME: 11 ISSUE: 1
Author(s):Craig Basman, Pratik Agrawal, Richard Knight, Louis Saravolatz, Chad McRee, Carol Chen-Scarabelli, Jagat Narula and Tiziano Scarabelli*
Affiliation:Lenox Hill Hospital, North Shore LIJ Health System, New York, NY, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, MI, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, MI, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, MI, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center Department of Cardiology, Alabama, Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center Department of Cardiology, Alabama
Keywords:Urocortin, ischemia-reperfusion, cytoprotection, corticotropins, cell death, cellular metabolism, myocardial.
Abstract:Background: There has been a constant pursuit for development of newer therapies which
can contribute to the relatively nascent field of cardioprotection in the setting of myocardial ischemiareperfusion
injury. One novel cardioprotective agent among others, that has shown promising results in
the limited number of research studies undertaken till now, is Urocortin. Urocortins are peptides belonging
to the Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone family.
Results: Acting through a variety of downstream mechanisms, urocortin has been shown to alter cellular
metabolism and modulate the mechanism of cell death occurring as a result of ischemia-reperfusion
injury. New evidence continues to accumulate in support of urocortin’s beneficial role in cytoprotection.
Conclusion: We present here an updated review largely focused on the various mechanisms through
which urocortin alters cellular metabolism, and discuss the clinical potential of urocortin’s cardioprotective
ability in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.
