Relaxin receptors - New drug targets for multiple disease states

Abstract

Relaxin was discovered more than 75 years prior to the identification of the receptors that mediate its actions. There has been a slow emergence in understanding the role of relaxin, with it being denoted initially as a hormone of pregnancy due to its observed effects to relax pubic ligaments and soften the cervix of guinea pigs to facilitate parturition. However, many other physiological roles have been identified for relaxin, including cardiovascular and neuropeptide functions and an ability to induce the matrix metalloproteinases, so it is clear that relaxin is not exclusively a hormone of pregnancy but has a much wider role in vivo. The recent de-orphanisation of four receptors LGR7, LGR..