METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR MEASURING BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDES AND FOR IMPROVING THEIR THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL

摘要

The present invention describes compositions and methods designed to determinethe presence or amount of biologicallyactive natriuretic peptides, or their fragments, in a sample. The degradationof natriuretic peptides is an ongoing process thatmay be a function of, inter alia, the elapsed time between onset of an eventtriggering natriuretic peptide release into the tissues andthe time the sample is obtained or analyzed, the quantity of proteolyticenzymes present, etc. This degradation can produce circulatingamounts of natriuretic peptides having reduced or lost biological function.The present invention provides, inter alia, assaysdesigned to accurately measure biologically active natriuretic peptides, andcompositions to inhibit a previously unknown pathwayfor degradation of natriuretic peptides.