Vasoactive intestinal peptide, also known as vasoactive intestinal polypeptide or VIP, is a peptide hormone that is vasoactive in the intestine. VIP is a peptide of 28 amino acid residues that belongs to a glucagon/secretin superfamily, the ligand of class II G protein–coupled receptors. VIP is produced in many tissues of vertebrates including the gut, pancreas, cortex, and suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus in the brain. VIP stimulates contractility in the heart, causes vasodilation, increases glycogenolysis, lowers arterial blood pressure and relaxes the smooth muscle of trachea, stomach and gallbladder. In humans, the vasoactive intestinal peptide is encoded by the VIP gene. VIP has a half-life (t½) in the blood of about two minutes.
Background References
1. Apicella AJ et al. VIP-Expressing GABAergic Neurons: Disinhibitory vs. Inhibitory Motif and Its Role in Communication Across Neocortical Areas. Front Cell Neurosci. 2022 Feb
2. Lu J et al. Targeting VIP and PACAP Receptor Signaling: New Insights into Designing Drugs for the PACAP Subfamily of Receptors. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul