Novel Peptides in Resistant Human Hypertension

Hypertension remains a global burden in cardiovascular disease leading to stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Its myocardial complications result from increased mechanical load on the heart. Under physiological conditions of increased myocardial load and resulting myocardial stretch, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) synthesis and secretion occur contributing to maintenance of optimal cardiorenal and blood pressure homeostasis. However, studies indicate that in subjects with cardiovascular diseases the biological structure of these hormones may be altered, thus reducing their favorable protective activities. New studies indicate that early and moderate hypertension is associated with a derangement of the natriuretic peptide system which is characterized by the lack of activation of biologically active ANP and BNP, while severe hypertension is characterized by cardiac release of altered molecular forms of ANP and BNP that have reduced biological properties and/or enhanced degradation.

The broad objective of proposal is to advance the biology and therapeutics of the natriuretic peptides (NPs) with a special focus on the cardiac peptide BNP in human hypertension. The investigators' proposal is based upon the biological properties of BNP (i.e., natriuretic, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone suppressing, vasodilating, anti-fibrotic, anti-hypertrophic and positive lusitropic), its mechanistic role in human hypertension, and thus its potential as an innovative chronic protein therapeutic to enhance the treatment of patients with uncontrolled and or resistant hypertension. Importantly, BNP is an endocrine hormone normally produced by the human heart, and its use as therapeutic agent has been approved in USA for more than a decade and has been proven to be safe.