Abstract 12583: C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Improves Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Functional Performance at Rest and During Exercise After Heart Failure

Background: In heart failure (HF), the impaired left ventricular (LV) arterial coupling and diastolic dysfunction present at rest are exacerbated during exercise (Ex). C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), the third member of the natriuretic peptide family produced by the vascular endothelium and heart is elevated in HF. However, its functional effects are unclear. We tested the hypotheses that CNP with vasodilating, natriuretic, and lusitropic actions may prevent this abnormal Ex response after HF. Methods: We assessed the effects of CNP on LV functional performance at rest and during submaximum Ex (3.5-5.5 mph for 6-8 min) in 10 instrumented dogs with pacing-induced HF. Since CNP mediated its biological actions via cGMP, we also measured plasma cGMP levels in response to CNP infusion at rest before and after HF. Results: CNP (2 μg/kg plus 0.4 μg/kg/min, iv, 20 min) caused a similar increase in cGMP levels before (7.2±3.8 to 24.7±4.9 pmol/ml) and after HF (20.2±4.4 to 71.6±5.0 pmol/ml). After HF, at rest, CNP reduced LV end-systolic pressure (P ES , CNP: 93 vs Baseline: 104 mmHg), arterial elastance (E A , 8.3 vs 11.7 mmHg/ml) and end-diastolic pressure (P ED , 37.2 vs 42.4 mmHg) (p<0.05). The peak mitral flow (dV/dt max , 201±51 vs 160±34ml/sec) was also increased due to decreased minimum LVP (LVP min , 17.1 vs 23.8 mmHg) and the time constant of LV relaxation (t, 40±4 vs 48±6 msec) (p<0.05). In addition, the slope of LV end-systolic pressure-volume relations (E ES ) was increased (5.6±0.7 vs 4.2±0.9 mmHg/ml). The LV-arterial coupling, quantified as E ES /E A , was improved (0.69±0.22 vs 0.48±0.16) (p<0.05). The beneficial effects persisted during Ex. At matched levels of Ex, treatment with CNP, Ex-induced significantly less increases in P ES (ΔP= 3.4±0.5 vs 7.4±0.8 mmHg), mean LAP (ΔP= -3.1±2.2 vs 3.6±2.9 mmHg), and LVP min (ΔP= -3.6±1.4 vs 1.4±1.2 mmHg) (p<0.05). With CNP, t was much shortened (Δ= -0.8±4.0 vs 2.8±3.2 ms), and the peak mitral flow was further augmented (ΔdV/dt max , 75±20 vs 43±12 ml/sec) (p<0.05). Conclusion: After HF, the generation of cGMP in response to CNP is not blunted. CNP produces arterial vasodilatation and augments LV contraction, relaxation, diastolic filling and LV arterial coupling, thus improving LV performance, both at rest and during Ex after HF.