title: Brain natriuretic peptide inhibits hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats.
abstract: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a pulmonary vasodilator that is elevated in the right heart and plasma of hypoxia-adapted rats. To test the hypothesis that BNP protects against hypoxic pulmonary hypertension, we measured right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), right ventricle (RV) weight-to-body weight (BW) ratio (RV/BW), and percent muscularization of peripheral pulmonary vessels (%MPPV) in rats given an intravenous infusion of BNP, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), or saline alone after 2 wk of normoxia or hypobaric hypoxia (0.5 atm). Hypoxia-adapted rats had higher hematocrits, RVSP, RV/BW, and %MPPV than did normoxic controls. Under normoxic conditions, BNP infusion (0.2 and 1.4 micro g/h) increased plasma BNP but had no effect on RVSP, RV/BW, or %MPPV. Under hypoxic conditions, low-rate BNP infusion (0.2 micro g/h) had no effect on plasma BNP or on severity of pulmonary hypertension. However, high-rate BNP infusion (1.4 micro g/h) increased plasma BNP (69 +/- 8 vs. 35 +/- 4 pg/ml, P < 0.05), lowered RV/BW (0.87 +/- 0.05 vs. 1.02 +/- 0.04, P < 0.05), and decreased %MPPV (60 vs. 74%, P < 0.05). There was also a trend toward lower RVSP (55 +/- 3 vs. 64 +/- 2, P = not significant). Infusion of ANP at 1.4 micro g/h increased plasma ANP in hypoxic rats (759 +/- 153 vs. 393 +/- 54 pg/ml, P < 0.05) but had no effect on RVSP, RV/BW, or %MPPV. We conclude that BNP may regulate pulmonary vascular responses to hypoxia and, at the doses used in this study, is more effective than ANP at blunting pulmonary hypertension during the first 2 wk of hypoxia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University School of Medicine, Providence 02903, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Klinger
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Warburton
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pietras
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017380:Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor