Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a peptide hormone with natriuretic, vasodilatory and renin inhibitory properties (1, 2, 3). BNP belongs to a family of structurally similar peptide hormones that also includes atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and urodilatin. These peptides are characterized by a 17 amino acid ring structure with a disulfide bond between two cy...

1. The aim of this study was to elucidate the pathophysiological role of adrenomedullin and the relation between adrenomedullin and other hormones in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 2. Fourteen patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), 26 patients with hypertrophic non-obstructive cardiomyopathy (HNCM) and 14 normal control subjects participated in this study. Rad...

BACKGROUND The effect of beta-blockade on the cardiac natriuretic peptides is poorly understood but could contribute to their beneficial treatment effect and may be relevant to clinical use of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)/N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) measurements in risk stratification and in titration of anti-heart failure therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixteen...

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), initially isolated from porcine brain [3], is the most recently characterized member of the natriuretic peptide family. The human CNP gene consists of at least two exons and an intron [4]. Whereas synthesis of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) has been demonstrated mainly in the heart, but also in various other organs [2, 5], CNP m R N A in ma...