Vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone)ADH

Water retention and vascular tone — osmotic control.

EndogenousEstablished

Identity

Class: Cyclic nonapeptide (9 aa)
Source: Hypothalamus; released from the posterior pituitary
Receptor: V1a, V1b, and V2 receptors

Key properties

Molecular weight

~1,084.2 Da

Half-life (native)

~15–30 min

Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone. Engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting.

Mechanism

Released in response to rising plasma osmolality, vasopressin acts at renal V2 receptors to promote water reabsorption and at V1 receptors to cause vasoconstriction. It is the primary hormonal regulator of water balance.

Reference notes

V2 (renal) and V1 (vascular) actions explain its dual role in water balance and blood pressure.
It differs from oxytocin by two residues, illustrating sequence-level specificity.
Osmoreceptor-driven release ties it tightly to plasma osmolality.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

1.Vasopressin receptors · Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM, 2000 · PMID 11091117
2.Vasopressin · , 2006 · PMID 29999710