Measurement of sodium pump inhibitor in plasma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Measurement of the ’placenta-derived 370 Dalton sodium pump inhibitor’ in plasma of patients with hypertension and those undergoing intermittent haemodialysis.
IRAS ID
192073
Contact name
David MAKANJUOLA
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
It is known that extracts from human placenta and also from the blood plasma of people with an increased blood
volume due to excess fluid contain something which impairs the action of the sodium pump which is situated in the
membranes of body cells. Inhibition of the action of the sodium pump is also known to occur in patients with kidney
failure and also those suffering from high blood pressure.
Previous research has shown the presence of a substance in the blood stream of individuals with increased blood
volume and fluid overload which has a molecular weight of 370 Daltons . This compound can be detected in the
blood by a technique called mass spectrometry. The question has been whether this 370 Dalton substance is in
some way implicated, perhaps through inhibiting the sodium pump, in the development of high blood pressure in
these individuals.
Further research had been hampered due to limits of the available technology, but recent dramatic improvements in
the sensitivity of mass spectrometry have made it possible for us to measure substances even if only present in very
small amounts.
This is exciting, as it can now allow us to investigate whether the blood plasma of individuals with high blood pressure
can be shown to have elevated concentrations of the 370 Dalton material and also to see whether the blood levels of
this substance can be implicated in the variable blood pressures of patients undergoing haemodialysis. We may also
be able to see whether the substance is absent in people with normal blood pressure levels.REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0364
Date of REC Opinion
7 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion