The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar-Ilan University, Henrietta Szold St. 8, P.O. Box 1589, Safed, Israel.
Curr Top Med Chem. 2020;20(32):2904-2921. doi: 10.2174/1568026620666201013154326.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.6 million deaths per year in 2016, a number that is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030. While many technologies are currently under investigation to improve the therapeutic outcome of CVD complications, only a few medications have been approved. Therefore, new approaches to treat CVD are urgently required. Peptides regulate numerous physiological processes, mainly by binding to specific receptors and inducing a series of signals, neurotransmissions or the release of growth factors. Importantly, peptides have also been shown to play an important role in the circulatory system both in physiological and pathological conditions. Peptides, such as angiotensin II, endothelin, urotensin-II, urocortins, adrenomedullin and natriuretic peptides have been implicated in the control of vascular tone and blood pressure as well as in CVDs such as congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and pulmonary and systemic hypertension. Hence it is not surprising that peptides are becoming important therapeutic leads in CVDs. This article will review the current knowledge on peptides and their role in the circulatory system, focusing on the physiological roles of natriuretic peptides in the cardiovascular system and their implications in CVDs.
心血管疾病 (CVDs) 是全球主要的死亡原因，2016 年每年导致超过 1760 万人死亡，预计到 2030 年这一数字将增长到 2360 多万。虽然目前有许多技术正在研究中，以改善 CVD 并发症的治疗效果，但只有少数几种药物获得批准。因此，迫切需要新的方法来治疗 CVD。肽调节着许多生理过程，主要通过与特定受体结合并诱导一系列信号、神经传递或生长因子的释放来发挥作用。重要的是，肽在生理和病理条件下也被证明在循环系统中发挥着重要作用。肽，如血管紧张素 II、内皮素、尾加压素-II、urocortin、肾上腺髓质素和利钠肽，与血管张力和血压的控制以及充血性心力衰竭、动脉粥样硬化、冠心病以及肺动脉高压和系统性高血压等 CVD 有关。因此，肽成为 CVD 中的重要治疗靶点也就不足为奇了。本文将综述肽的现有知识及其在循环系统中的作用，重点介绍利钠肽在心血管系统中的生理作用及其在 CVD 中的意义。
