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Appearance of beta-human atrial natriuretic peptide in collagen disease
M Shichiri1, N Miyasaka, Y Hirata
1Second Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
Insights
Collagen diseases like lupus can alter circulating forms of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP). The study found beta-hANP in patients, even without heart issues, suggesting it’s not exclusive to heart failure.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cardiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Collagen diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and progressive systemic sclerosis, can affect various organ systems.
- Human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) plays a role in cardiovascular homeostasis.
- Understanding the circulating forms of hANP in collagen diseases is crucial for assessing potential cardiac involvement or other pathophysiological changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the different circulating forms of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) in patients with collagen diseases.
- To compare the hANP profiles in patients with collagen diseases to those in healthy individuals.
- To determine if specific hANP forms are associated with collagen diseases, irrespective of clinical cardiac involvement.
Main Methods:
- Plasma samples were collected from 21 patients with collagen diseases and 21 healthy controls.
- Analysis involved reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and radioimmunoassay (RIA) for hANP.
- hANP-like immunoreactivity was measured to assess peptide levels.
Main Results:
- While total plasma hANP-like immunoreactivity was generally normal, distinct forms of hANP were identified in patients.
- Patients with collagen disease showed circulating alpha-hANP, beta-hANP, and gamma-hANP.
- Alpha-hANP predominated in healthy controls, whereas beta-hANP was found in 18 of 21 patients but not in controls.
- The appearance of beta-hANP was not consistently linked to elevated total hANP levels.
Conclusions:
- Beta-hANP circulates in the plasma of patients with collagen diseases, even in the absence of apparent myocardial involvement.
- The presence of beta-hANP in plasma is not exclusive to congestive heart failure.
- These findings suggest that beta-hANP may serve as a biomarker for collagen diseases, independent of overt cardiac dysfunction.
Abstract:
To elucidate the circulating forms of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) in collagen disease, we analysed plasma samples obtained from 21 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis or progressive systemic sclerosis with no clinical evidence of cardiac involvement. The findings were compared with those obtained from 21 healthy control subjects. Plasma hANP-like immunoreactivity was normal in all but three of the controls and in two patients with the nephrotic syndrome due to lupus nephritis. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, gel permeation chromatography and subsequent radioimmunoassay for hANP revealed that the circulating hANP consisted of alpha-hANP, beta-hANP and gamma-hANP in the patients with collagen disease whereas alpha-hANP predominated in the control group. beta-hANP appeared in 18 of the 21 patients but was not observed in the controls. These data suggest that beta-hANP circulates in the plasma of patients with collagen disease even when no myocardial involvement is apparent and that the appearance of beta-hANP is not always associated with an increase in total plasma hANP-like immunoreactivity. Thus the appearance of beta-hANP in plasma is not a phenomenon specific to congestive heart failure.