Neprilysin Inhibitors as a New Approach in the Treatment of Right Heart Failure in the Course of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The aim of this paper was to review scientific evidence on the possible use of the combined angiotensin II receptor antagonist and neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI) in patients with right heart failure (RHF) in the course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has been proven that a lack of neprilysin or its reduced expression in hypoxia leads to exacerbation of pulmonary arterial remodelling (PAR) or pulmonary hypertension (PH) in the mechanism related to the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) resulting in the proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Such action in the course of COPD can lead to RHF, which would signify noxious effect of this group of drugs. However, the inhibition of neprilysin also hinders natriuretic peptide metabolism. The representative of this group—brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)—acts as a vasodilator and also exerts an antiproliferative activity through the cGMP-dependent protein kinase G pathway. Additionally, it causes bronchodilation by inducing the release of acetylcholine from bronchial epithelial cells. This suggests that natriuretic peptides may appear to be a potential treatment agent in patients with cardiac complications and COPD. Their effects associated with the immunosuppression capacity by reducing the release of inflammatory mediators—IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α can bring benefits to patients with acute lung injury caused by pulmonary inflammation during COPD exacerbations. Considering the potentially positive effect of natriuretic peptides in this group of patients, further research is required in this area, which can provide strong scientific data demonstrating the need for introducing ARNI drugs to the treatment of patients with COPD.