This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The heart produces a hormone, called BNP or Brain-Natriuretic Peptide. There is also pro-BNP, which is in fact the precursor of BNP. Pro-BNP and BNP are released when the stress on the wall of the heart is increased (for example, by exercise). We studied the release of these hormones as it relates to a supine bicycle exercise test with an increasing load in healthy subjects over a broad age range (18 to 65 years). The rationale to study them in the same subject was to sort out if either BNP or pro-BNP would be more sensitive in rising during exercise. We found that at peak exercise BNP levels are nearly double the levels found at rest. The concentration of pro-BNP was already at rest higher than BNP> This is logical because it is the precursor of BNP. The rise of pro-BNP was less pronounced that in case of BNP. Therefore, we would recommend further study of BNP during exercise in several conditions and not of proBNP, because this would not provide additional information. In the future, we will begin to look at BNP levels in patients with stiff walls of the heart, because this is in 50 percent in patients with heart failure, which is called diastolic dysfunction . The heart is less able to relax after it has pumped out the blood through the aorta during its contraction. We hypothesize that BNP will increase more in patients with stiff walls of the heart (than in healthy controls) because there is more wall stress. If so, this could become an early marker to detect changes in stiffness of the heart, even before the development of any symptoms.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 724 publications
