[Concentration of neuropeptide Y in serum of patients with primary hypertension].

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been recently characterized as a circulating vasoconstrictor peptide which is co-stored with noradrenaline in sympathetic neurons. To investigate the role of NPY concentration in hypertension we measured the circulating NPY, endothelin-1,2 (ET-1,2), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), aldosterone, plasma renin activity (PRA) and noradrenaline (NA) in patients with stable mild to moderate primary hypertension. Circulating levels of NPY, ET-1,2, ANP, aldosterone and PRA were measured with radioimmunoassay, NA by double-isotope radioenzymatic assay. There were significant increase in concentrations NPY, ET-1,2, ANP and NA in patients with moderate primary hypertension, and significant positive correlations between the plasma levels of NPY, ET-1,2 and NA.