Background
Cardiac homeostasis is a complex phenomenon, which is maintained by the interplay of factors that up and down regulate blood pressure. Natriuretic peptides (NPs), which cause vasodilation and increased water-electrolyte excretion, are among the most vital hormonal controls of blood pressure. NPs elicit their function by binding to membrane bound guanylyl cyclase receptor. Three mammalian NPs are known, namely ANP, BNP and CNP, which are structurally similar with a 17 residue ring and a short (5-6 residues) C-terminal tail.