Carl-Johan Aurell

Antidiuretic activity and release of Factor VIII by vasopressin analogues

Vasopressin and in particular its structural analogue dDAVP (1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin) can increase plasma concentrations of Factor VIII and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in some species of animals and in humans. For this reason dDAVP is used therapeutically in the treatment of bleeding episodes in patients suffering from haemophilia A and Von Willebrands disease. However, the high antidiuretic activity of dDAVP constitutes and unwanted effect in this context. In the present study, a large number of analogues of vasopressin were designed, synthesized and tested in monkeys with the aim of producing compounds in which the Factor VIII-releasing activity was selectively isolated from the vasopressor and antidiuretic actions of the peptide. The results indicate that it is possible to separate these biological activities; however, none of the analogues tested so far possessed Factor VIII potencies comparable to that of dDAVP.