Apelin的生理与病理功能

多肽Apelin广泛存在于各种组织中，通过自分泌和旁分泌等信号途径发挥重要的生物学效应. 近年来，对Apelin的研究日益增多，发现其在心血管、神经、肾、肺等系统中均有非常重要的作用.同时，Apelin在体液平衡及肥胖的进程中也扮演了重要的角色.Apelin及其受体系统存在如此广泛，功能如此之多，暗示了其作为多个疾病进程中的关键因子.近期对Apelin功能的认识从系统、组织水平转向分子水平.随着研究的深入，Apelin有望成为治疗相关疾病的新的靶分子.本文对Apelin参与重要心血管疾病、神经疾病、肥胖症及关节炎等生理与病理过程做一综述.

Pathol-physiological Roles of Apelin

Apelin exists in a variety of tissues and plays important biological roles through autocrine and paracrine pathways. In the past few years, the increasing results about Apelin show that Apelin plays an important role in the visceral system, such as in cardiovascular, neurological, kidney, lung, as well as in fluid balance, obesity and arthritis. Apelin and its receptors system exist so extensively and functionally that it is implied that Apelin is one key factor in the process of various diseases. Nowadays the research area of Apelin has been changed from the tissue level to the molecular mechanisms. Due to an intensive study of this peptide, Apelin will be a new target for treatment of related diseases. This article will review the role of Apelin in the important physiological process of cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, obesity and arthritis.