Krishnaswami Ashok
Perm J. 2008 Fall;12(4):32-43. doi: 10.7812/TPP/08-019.
Natriuretic peptide (NP) physiology is a complex field. NPs also are known to be highly phylogenetically preserved. NPs can be thought of as counterregulatory hormones antagonizing the effects of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and sympathetic systems. These peptides are primarily responsible for maintaining salt and water homeostasis, but they also have vasodilatory properties. It was originally thought that B-type NP (BNP) and N-terminal-pro-BNP are secreted in a 1:1 ratio. However, recent data has shed further light into this area. Commercial assays for NPs will need to keep up with these changes. Currently, BNP levels within Kaiser Permanente are obtained by multiple providers in a variety of clinical scenarios in order to help them manage their patients. Therefore, a basic understanding of the physiology of NPs and the methodology of assays are needed to appropriately interpret an NP test result within the corresponding clinical scenario.
利钠肽（NP）生理学是一个复杂的领域。已知NP在系统发育上具有高度保守性。NP可被视为对抗肾素 - 血管紧张素 - 醛固酮系统和交感神经系统作用的反调节激素。这些肽主要负责维持盐和水平衡，但它们也具有血管舒张特性。最初认为B型NP（BNP）和N末端前BNP以1:1的比例分泌。然而，最近的数据进一步揭示了这一领域。NP的商业检测方法需要跟上这些变化。目前，凯撒医疗集团内的BNP水平由多个提供者在各种临床情况下获取，以帮助他们管理患者。因此，需要对NP的生理学和检测方法有基本的了解，以便在相应的临床情况下正确解读NP检测结果。
