Regulation of inner ear fluid in the rat by vasopressin

THE anti-diuretic hormone vasopressin has been shown to be important in regulating inner ear fluid. The diuretic hormone, CNP, and its receptor, ANP-R receptor, may also function in the regulation of inner ear fluid. To determine whether vasopressin directly affects the fluid level, we infused this hormone to rat and assay of V2-AVP receptor mRNA by semiquantitative RT-PCR demonstrated a significantly lower level of this transcript in vasopressin-infused animals than in saline-infused animals. The levels of CNP and ANP-R receptors mRNA, however, were the same in both groups of rats. Results suggest that high plasma levels of vasopressin may be a principal causal factor of endolymphatic hydrops in Meniere's disease, perhaps by down-regulating the number of vasopressin receptors. (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.