Exploration and Clinical Application of Endogenous Peptides for Hypertension Prevention and Treatment
Exploration and Clinical Application of Endogenous Peptides for Hypertension Prevention and Treatment
1.Research Background
Hypertension is a widespread chronic cardiovascular disease worldwide, affecting over 1 billion people globally and greatly increasing the risks of stroke, renal failure and other severe complications. Conventional antihypertensive drugs including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers have definite therapeutic effects, yet they tend to cause adverse reactions such as dry cough, hypotension and renal damage, which affect patients’ medication compliance. Therefore, developing new therapeutic approaches with high efficacy and low side effects has become a key research direction in the field of cardiovascular medicine. Endogenous peptides produced by the human body feature excellent biocompatibility, high target specificity and mild pharmacological effects, emerging as promising candidates for novel antihypertensive agents.
2.Research Purpose and Significance
This paper systematically elaborates the pathogenesis of hypertension and the limitations of traditional drugs, summarizes the physiological functions and action mechanisms of typical endogenous peptides such as ANP, BNP and CGRP in blood pressure regulation. It also introduces proteomics technologies represented by mass spectrometry for high-throughput mining, identification and quantitative analysis of endogenous peptides. The research clarifies the application value of endogenous peptides as therapeutic agents and disease biomarkers, providing theoretical support and technical references for the research, development and clinical transformation of peptide-based antihypertensive drugs, as well as new ideas for the precision treatment of hypertension.
3.Research Content
Endogenous peptides participate in multiple physiological processes to regulate blood pressure: Natriuretic peptides including ANP, BNP and CNP can dilate blood vessels, promote diuresis and regulate water-sodium balance; CGRP exerts vasodilation and cardiac protection effects, and inhibits excessive activation of sympathetic nerves to stabilize blood pressure. The expression levels of these peptides are closely correlated with hypertension phenotypes, which can be used as effective biomarkers for early diagnosis, condition monitoring and individualized medication guidance.
In terms of technical means, proteomics combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC/ESI-MS/MS) realizes efficient separation, identification and quantification of trace endogenous peptides in blood, urine and other biological samples. Technologies such as TMT and iTRAQ isotope labeling further improve the accuracy of quantitative analysis, helping researchers screen functional peptide molecules and potential drug targets from complex samples. Compared with traditional drugs, endogenous peptides show lower toxic and side effects, and some of them can cross the blood-brain barrier, expanding the scope of treatment.
4.Conclusion & Outlook
Endogenous peptides play indispensable roles in blood pressure regulation and cardiovascular protection, and proteomics technology has become a powerful tool for mining and analyzing functional peptide molecules, laying a solid foundation for the development of new antihypertensive therapies. At present, the action mechanisms of some endogenous peptides remain to be fully clarified, and their large-scale clinical application still faces many challenges. In the future, relevant research will further explore the molecular mechanisms of different endogenous peptides, combine bioinformatics and artificial intelligence to accelerate the screening and optimization of lead compounds, and promote the clinical transformation of peptide drugs. Meanwhile, researchers will continue to improve peptide detection and analysis technologies, expand the application of endogenous peptides in early screening and precise management of hypertension, and create safer and more efficient treatment solutions for patients with cardiovascular diseases.
Reference: Liu Shuhan, Shen Chen, Zhang Qiangxiang, et al. Clinical Applications of Endogenous Peptide Discovery in the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension [J]. Journal of Xiangyang Vocational and Technical College, 2025, 24(6): 107–112. DOI: 10.20219/j.cnki.2095-6584.2025.06.024.
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