Co-peptin: Role as a novel biomarker in clinical practice

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a key regulator of water balance, but its instability makes reliable measurement difficult and precludes its routine use. Co-peptin is the C-terminal part of the AVP precursor which plays an important role in the correct structural formation of the AVP precursor and its efficient proteolytic maturation. Because of its stoichiometric generation, co-peptin mirrors the release of AVP and measurement of more stable co-peptin may be an indicator of AVP levels.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from the websites of the National Library of Medicine (http://www.ncbl.nlm.nih.gov) and Pubmed Central, the US National Library of Medicine's digital archive of life sciences literature (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/). The data was assessed from books and journals that published relevant articles in this field.

Recent and ongoing research indicates the diagnostic and prognostic roles of co-peptin in various clinical settings especially in critically ill patients.

Co-peptin levels are altered in various physiological and pathological conditions indicating its possible role as a biomarker. However, further research using co-peptin in various clinical settings will prove its cost-effectiveness and clinical usefulness.