Atrial natriuretic peptides (ANPs) consist of a family of six
peptide hormones that are synthesized by three different genes and then stored as three different prohormones. Within the 126-amino
acid ANP prohormone are four
peptide hormones:
long-acting natriuretic peptide (LANP),
vessel dilator,
kaliuretic peptide, and
ANP, whose main known
biologic properties are blood pressure regulation and maintenance of plasma volume. The newest discovered property of these
peptide hormones is their anticancer effects.
Vessel dilator, LANP,
kaliuretic peptide, and
ANP decrease the number of human pancreatic
adenocarcinoma cells in culture by 65%, 47%, 37%, and 34%, respectively, within 24 hours at their 1 microM concentrations. Similar results have been found with breast
adenocarcinomas, squamous cell
lung cancer, and
small cell lung cancer cells, each associated with an 83% or greater inhibition of
deoxyribonucleic acid (
DNA) synthesis by these four
peptide hormones.
Brain natriuretic peptide has no effects even when increased 100-fold (ie, 100 microM).
C-type natriuretic peptide has no effects when increased 10-fold, but when increased 100-fold, it decreases 39% of the
cancer cells. At this higher 100 microM concentration,
vessel dilator kills 92% of the
cancer cells within 24 hours. The four
peptide hormones synthesized by the
ANP gene given subcutaneously via osmotic pumps in athymic mice with human pancreatic
adenocarcinomas completely stop the growth of these
adenocarcinomas at 1 week.
Vessel dilator, LANP, and
kaliuretic peptide within 1 week decrease the volume by 49%, 28%, and 11% of the human pancreatic
adenocarcinomas, which, with current anticancer treatment, have a mean survival of only 4 months.