Ehrentraud J. Eichelbaum

Urodilatin and four cardiac hormones decrease human renal carcinoma cell numbers

Background Mortality from renal‐cell cancer remains a significant problem with an estimated 12 600 deaths in the United States in 2005 even with current treatment(s) of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy. Four cardiac natriuretic peptides, that is, atrial natriuretic peptide, vessel dilator, long‐acting natriuretic peptide and kaliuretic peptide have significant anti‐cancer effects in breast, pancreatic, prostate and colon adenocarcinomas.

Cardiac and kidney hormones cure up to 86% of human small-cell lung cancers in mice

Background  Four cardiac hormones synthesized by the same gene, i.e. atrial natriuretic peptide, vessel dilator, long acting natriuretic peptide and kaliuretic peptide, and the kidney hormone urodilatin have anticancer effects in vitro.

Four cardiac hormones cause cell death of melanoma cells and inhibit their DNA synthesis.

Background:There will be an estimated 59,940 new cases of melanoma and 8,110 deaths from melanoma in the United States in 2007. There has been no improvement in survival with melanomas in the last 22 years, with current treatment indicating that new treatment(s) of melanoma are drastically needed. Four cardiac hormones ie, atrial natriuretic peptide, vessel dilator, long-acting natriuretic peptide, and kaliuretic peptide, have significant anticancer effects in adenocarcinomas. Methods:Dose-response curves evaluated the effects of these cardiovascular hormones on cell death and DNA synthesis in several melanoma cell lines in culture for 96 hours. Receptors to mediate these peptide hormones effects were examined in the melanoma cells with Western blots. Their intracellular mediator-analog 8-bromo-cyclic GMP was used to determine if it could mimic their effects on decreasing melanoma cell number and DNA synthesis. Results:The four cardiac hormones caused cell death in up to 71% (P < 0.001) of the melanoma cells within 24 hours. Cardiac hormone receptors (NPR-A, -B, -C) were present on the melanoma cells, and each of the peptide hormones decreased DNA synthesis within the melanoma cells up to 73% (P < 0.001) at their 1-&mgr;M concentrations. 8-Bromo-cyclic GMP mimicked their effects, decreasing the number of melanoma cells up to 67% and their DNA synthesis by 58% (both at P < 0.01). Conclusions:These results indicate that 4 cardiac hormones have potent beneficial effects by increasing cell death in up to 71% of melanoma cells within 24 hours mediated in part by a 73% decrease in their DNA synthesis.

Four cardiac hormones eliminate up to 82% of human medullary thyroid carcinoma cells within 24 hours

Four cardiac hormones, i.e., atrial natriuretic peptide, vessel dilator, long-acting natriuretic peptide, and kaliuretic peptide, which have anticancer effects, were evaluated for the first time on any endocrine cancer to determine if they have anticancer effects in an endocrine cancer. These four cardiac hormones were evaluated for their anticancer, DNA synthesis, and receptor status in human medullary thyroid cancer cells. There was a significant (p<0.001) decrease in human medulary thyroid cancer cells with each 10-fold increase from 1 to 100 µM of the four cardiac hormones. There was an 81%, 68%, 71%, and 66% elimination within 24 h of medullary thyroid cancer cells secondary to vessel dilator, kaliuretic peptide, atrial natriuretic peptide, and long-acting natriuretic peptide, respectively (p<0.0001). Three days after treatment with these peptide hormones, there was no proliferation of the medullary thyroid cancer cells. These cardiac hormones decreased DNA synthesis in the medullary thyroid cells from 65% to 84% (p<0.0001). Western blots revealed natriuretic peptide receptors-A and -C were present in human medullary thyroid cancer cells. These results indicate the four cardiac hormones have potent anticancer effects by eliminating up to 82% of human medullary thyroid carcinoma cells within 24 h of treatment.

Epidermal growth factor’s activation of Ras is inhibited by four cardiac hormones

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (5): 408–413

Cardiac hormones eliminate some human squamous lung carcinomas in athymic mice.

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (3): 242–249