PACAP - From Discovery to Function in Health and Disease

PACAP: From Discovery to Function in Health and Disease serves as a comprehensive review covering all aspects of PACAP and its receptors, from expression to function in healthy tissues and disease models. The book introduces the biochemical, pharmacological and signaling properties of PACAP before exploring the biological actions of PACAP in normal health and pathological conditions. It considers PACAP in relation to various aspects, including pain, stress, brain injury, tumor cells and neurodegenerative disease. Effect on peripheral organs is also covered, from the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system to immune cells and bones, among others. Therapeutic potential is also explored. This is a volume in the Molecular Mediators in Health and Disease book series, and provides a complete analysis of PACAP and the latest research in the field. Thus it is an ideal guide for researchers interested in PACAP and its impact across health and disease.

List of contents

I. Introduction

II. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide

1. Discovery and biochemical properties of PACAP (Secondary structure of PACAP, Structure of the PACAP precursor and post-translational processing)
2. Cloning and phylogenetic evolution of the PACAP gene
3. Development of PACAP peptidic analogs for structure-activity characterization
4. Development of PACAP small molecule agonists / antagonists for therapeutic applications III. PACAP receptors
5. Pharmacological, Biochemical and Signaling characterization of PACAP receptors
6. Cloning and phylogenetic evolution of PACAP receptors IV. Expression of PACAP and its receptors
7. Distribution of PACAP and its receptors in the central nervous system (at adulthood and during development)
8. Distribution of PACAP and its receptors in peripheral organs (at adulthood and during development)
9. Presence of PACAP in biological fluids
10. Expression and functional implication of PACAP and its receptors in tumor cells V. Biological actions of PACAP in normal and pathological conditions A. Actions of the CNS
11. Actions on the hypothalamus
12. Actions of PACAP on the pineal gland and circadian rhythms
13. Actions on glial cells
14. Effects of PACAP on the pituitary gland
15. PACAP transport across the BBB and therapeutic implication
16. Neurotrophic actions during development and protective effects in acute brain injuries (stroke and spinal cord)
17. Protective effect of PACAP in neurodegenerative diseases
18. PACAP in migraine
19. Action of PACAP in the central regulation of energy homeostasis, including food intake
20. Behavioral actions of PACAP
21. PACAP and stress
22. PACAP and pain
23. PACAP and psychiatric disorders B. Actions on peripheral organs
24. Effects of PACAP on the eye
25. Effects of PACAP on the thyroid gland
26. Effects of PACAP on the gonads
27. Effects of PACAP on the adrenal gland
28. Effects of PACAP on the gastrointestinal tract
29. Effects of PACAP on the liver
30. Effects of PACAP on the pancreas
31. Effects of PACAP on the respiratory system
32. Effects of PACAP on the cardiovascular system
33. Effects of PACAP on immune cells
34. Effects of PACAP on bones

About the author

David Vaudry specialises in cell biology and neuroscience. After completing his PhD in 2000, he went on to post-doc training in the laboratory of Dr Lee E. Eiden. Since 2002 he has been a researcher at INSERM, France, where, from 2008-2021 he has led the research team centred on ‘Neuropeptides, Neuronal Death and Cell Plasticity’. Since 2020 he has been Editor in Chief of the journal Neuroendocrinology. He is the author of 187 original articles, books and book chapters referenced in PubMed. He has supervised 14 PhD students and is known internationally for his work on the neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects of PACAP.Hitoshi Hashimoto received physiological chemistry training and holds a PhD from Kyoto University. In 1991, he became Assistant Professor at Osaka University, and since 2010 he has been a Professor and Chair of the Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University. He is the author of 248 original articles referenced in PubMed. He is one of the leading researchers known for research on the role of PACAP in the brain, particularly in psychiatric disorders, and has recently widened his research area to investigate neurological mechanisms using a whole-brain imaging system, block-FAce Serial microscopy Tomography (FAST) and an array of neuroscience methods.

Product details

• Assisted by: Hitoshi Hashimoto (Editor), David Vaudry (Editor)
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 05.01.2026
• EAN: 9780443290541
• ISBN: 978-0-443-29054-1
• Series: Molecular Mediators in Health and Disease: How Cells Communicate
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > General, dictionaries; SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Cell Biology, Cellular biology (cytology)