Discovery, development, and some uses of vasopressin and oxytocin antagonists.

The past decade has witnessed an astonishing resurgence of interest in the neurohypophysial peptides oxytacin and vasopressin. The availability of antagonists for vasopressin and oxytocin has been a major factor responsible for the increased number of studies on these peptides. Oxytocin antagonists and, more particularly, vasopressin antagonists have been and are being used worldwide as pharmacologic tools in a broad range of studies on the putative physiological and pathophysiological roles of vasopressin and of oxytocin. Also, antagonists of the antidiuretic effects of vasopressin are currently being developed as therapeutic candidates for the treatment of excessive water retention caused by SIADH. Antagonists of oxytocin are also potential therapeutic agents for the prevention of premature labor