Can C-natriuretic peptide protect the heart and blood vessels against damage in sepsis?

Delineating a role for endothelium-derived C-type natriuretic peptide in the vascular and cardiac dysfunction associated with sepsis

Sepsis and septic shock are the main cause of death in patients in intensive care. Understanding exactly what is happening to the heart and circulatory system in sepsis (a widespread infection) may reveal new ways to treat this life-threatening disease. People with sepsis often die because their blood pressure and heart function drop significantly, and they can’t supply enough blood to their vital organs. Professor Adrian Hobbs and colleagues have found that a molecule called C-type natriuretic peptide is released from cells on the inside of blood vessels (the endothelium). They have also found that levels of this molecule in the blood rise markedly in patients with sepsis. The BHF have now awarded a grant to study how C-type natriuretic peptide helps to prevent the heart, artery and vein dysfunction which is characteristic of the disease. They will use a multi-disciplinary approach, including studying immune cells, blood vessels and heart tissue to work out exactly how the molecule contributes. This research will unravel whether targeting C-type natriuretic peptide using drugs could be a new way to treat sepsis.