What is Vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone) (ADH)?

Water retention and vascular tone — osmotic control. Structurally it is Cyclic nonapeptide (9 aa).

How strong is the evidence for ADH?

PeptideHormone grades ADH at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.

What is the half-life of ADH?

The reported circulating half-life of ADH is ~15–30 min.

Vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone)ADH

Water retention and vascular tone — osmotic control.

EndogenousEstablished

Two residues apart from oxytocin and responsible for something else entirely — the clearest lesson in how little it takes to change a meaning.

Identity

Class: Cyclic nonapeptide (9 aa)
Source: Hypothalamus; released from the posterior pituitary
Receptor: V1a, V1b, and V2 receptors

Key properties

Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1

Molecular weight

~1,084.2 Da

REF

Half-life (native)

~15–30 min

CLIN

Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.

Mechanism

Released in response to rising plasma osmolality, vasopressin acts at renal V2 receptors to promote water reabsorption and at V1 receptors to cause vasoconstriction. It is the primary hormonal regulator of water balance.

Reference notes

V2 (renal) and V1 (vascular) actions explain its dual role in water balance and blood pressure.
It differs from oxytocin by two residues, illustrating sequence-level specificity.
Osmoreceptor-driven release ties it tightly to plasma osmolality.

Common questions

What is Vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone) (ADH)?: Water retention and vascular tone — osmotic control. Structurally it is Cyclic nonapeptide (9 aa).
How does ADH work?: Released in response to rising plasma osmolality, vasopressin acts at renal V2 receptors to promote water reabsorption and at V1 receptors to cause vasoconstriction. It is the primary hormonal regulator of water balance.
How strong is the evidence for ADH?: PeptideHormone grades ADH at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
What is the half-life of ADH?: The reported circulating half-life of ADH is ~15–30 min.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

1.Vasopressin receptors · Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM, 2000 · PMID 11091117
2.Vasopressin · , 2006 · PMID 29999710

External references

ADH in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.