Posted by Ada Brown on May 30, 2016 10:55 am
Omapatrilat is an antihypertensive drug which acts by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and neutral endopeptidase. ACE a zinc-containing carbopeptidase, catalyzes the conversion of the decapeptide angiotensin I (AI) to the octapeptide angiotensin II (AII). AII is a potent vasoconstrictor which also triggers the release of aldosterone, a sodium-retaining steroid. Thus ACE raises blood pressure by increasing both vascular resistance and fluid volume. Effective inhibitors of ACE have been used not only in the treatment of hypertension but in the clinical management of congestive heart failure. Neutral endopeptidase (NEP), like ACE, is a zinc metalloprotease and is found in high concentration in the brush border of the renal proximal tubule. NEP is highly efficient in degrading atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a 28-amino acid peptide secreted by the heart in response to atrial distension.
