Adrenomedullin in heart failure: potential therapeutic implications

Adrenomedullin (AM) may play a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure. Plasma levels of AM are raised in cardiovascular disease in proportion to severity of cardiac dysfunction, and plasma AM levels measured in acute myocardial infarction and heart failure are a useful prognostic indicator of outcome. AM administration in both experimental and human heart failure induces a beneficial spectrum of biological action including reduced arterial and atrial pressures, improved cardiac output, inhibition of plasma aldosterone and preservation or augmentation of urinary sodium excretion. Combining AM administration with either angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition or neutral endopeptidase inhibition results in augmentation of the hemodynamic and renal effects of the individual treatments. Manipulating the AM system may prove beneficial as an adjunctive therapeutic strategy in cardiac disease.