title: Plasma concentrations and comparisons of brain and atrial natriuretic peptide in normal subjects and in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: We have developed a radioimmunoassay for the measurement of immunoreactive BNP (1-32) in human plasma. Simultaneous measurement of ANP have also been carried out to allow for direct comparison between circulating BNP and ANP. Plasma levels of immunoreactive BNP (means +/- SEM) were 1.1 +/- 0.1 pmol/l in 36 normal healthy subjects and were significantly elevated in 50 patients with essential hypertension (1.6 +/- 0.2 pmol/l, P < 0.02). Similarly, in patients with essential hypertension plasma levels of ANP were also significantly raised (5.5 +/- 0.6 pmol/l, P < 0.001) when compared with the group of normal healthy subjects (2.8 +/- 0.2 pmol/l). ANP was significantly higher than BNP in normal subjects and in patients with essential hypertension, with ANP/BNP ratios of 2.8 +/- 0.2 and 3.8 +/- 0.3, respectively, in these two groups. A major finding was a significant and positive association between plasma levels of both BNP and ANP within the healthy subjects (r = 0.49, P < 0.05, n = 36) and within the hypertensive subjects (r = 0.76, P < 0.001, n = 50). When all plasma values for BNP and ANP were taken together for both groups, there was an overall correlation coefficient of 0.65 (P < 0.001, n = 86). Both BNP and ANP had significant positive associations with age in hypertensive patients, with correlation coefficients of 0.53 (P < 0.001, n = 50) and of 0.53 (P < 0.001, n = 50) for BNP and ANP, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Blood Pressure Unit, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Markandu
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Sagnella
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: MacGregor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor