Vasopressin receptor antagonist

A vasopressin receptor antagonist is an agent which interferes with action at the vasopressin receptors. They can be used in the treatment of hyponatremia, especially in patients with congestive heart failure or liver cirrhosis.

Tetracyclines
Demeclocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic, is sometimes used to block the action of vasopressin in the kidney in hyponatremia due to inappropriately high secretion of vasopressin (SIADH), when fluid restriction has failed.

Vaptans
A class of medication, the "vaptan" drugs, act by inhibiting the action of vasopressin on its receptors (V1A, V1B and V2). These receptors have a variety of functions, with the V1A and V2 receptors are expressed peripherally and involved in the modulation of blood pressure and kidney function respectively, while the V1A and V1B receptors are expressed in the central nervous system. V1A is expressed in many regions of the brain, and has been linked to a variety of social behaviors in humans and animals.

The vaptan class of drugs contains a number of compounds with varying selectivity, several of which are either already in clinical use or in clinical trials as of 2009.


 * Unselective (mixed V1A/V2)
 * Conivaptan


 * V1A selective
 * Relcovaptan


 * V1B selective
 * Nelivaptan


 * V2 selective
 * Lixivaptan
 * Mozavaptan
 * Satavaptan
 * Tolvaptan