The natriuretic peptide family consists of a number of structurally homologous but genetically distinct polypeptide mediators. The peptides are highly conserved across mammalian and invertebrate species and, in humans, are released from various tissues in response to physiological and pathological stimuli. All the peptides have at their core a 17-amino acid disulfide ring essential for receptor...

BACKGROUND The myocardium secretes B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in response to stimuli associated with heart failure (HF). However, high immunoreactive-BNP levels in patients with HF are associated with a paradoxical lack of natriuretic response. We hypothesized that commercially available assays for immunoreactive BNP do not reflect the bioactivity of the natriuretic peptide system, becaus...

Elevated plasma natriuretic peptide levels after AMI (acute myocardial infarction) are associated with adverse outcome. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship of plasma N-ANP (N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide) and N-BNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) with mortality and heart failure following AMI. We studied 403 patients with AMI. Blood was sampled fo...

Background. B-type natriuretic peptide has been shown to be a very sensitive and specific marker of heart failure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of percutaneous closure of ventricular septal defects with Amplatzer septal occluders on brain natriuretic peptide levels. Methods. Between 2008 and 2011, 23 patients underwent successfully percutaneous ventricular septal defect clo...

Brain and atrial natriuretic peptides (BNP and ANP) are cardiac hormones with diuretic, natriuretic, and vasodilatory activities. Cardiomyopathic hamsters are widely used animal models of heart failure. Due to the structural divergence of BNP among species, examination on pathophysiological roles of BNP using cardiomyopathic hamsters is so far impossible. We therefore isolated hamster BNP and A...

The structure of the mouse natriuretic peptide type-B (BNP) gene was determined by isolating and sequencing genomic clones. The mouse BNP gene was structurally similar to other natriuretic peptide genes and comprised three exons and two introns. Expression of the mouse BNP gene was found only in cardiac tissue as determined by ribonuclease protection analyses. Initiation of transcription was 31...

There are no available data on the direct effect of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) on the myocardial contractility in mammalian hearts. Thus we studied the inotropic and chronotropic effects of CNP-22 and BNP-32 compared with those of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)-28 using the isolated, blood-perfused canine right atrial or left ventricular preparations....

Plasma concentration of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), as measured by the Triage BNP Test, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to aid in the diagnosis of heart failure. This diagnostic test is available in many institutions. The purpose of this article is to help the physician know the appropriate time to order this test and to aid in interpreting results. To achieve this goal, we...

C ardiac transplantation is an important treatment option for those patients with end stage heart failure who have failed to respond to disease modifying treatment. However, cardiac transplantation is not without risk, with the one year mortality around 19%, and identifying patients at the highest risk of death is notoriously difficult. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and the N-terminal portion...

Both atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) are involved in sodium and water homoeostasis in healthy humans. The plasma concentrations of the natriuretic peptides can be used to differentiate between dyspnoea of cardiac and pulmonary origin, and the degree of elevation of the peptide levels in the plasma in heart failure is a measure of the severity of the disease....