Timing heart hormones and blood pressure medicines to improve nighttime blood pressure

Natriuretic Peptide-Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Rhythm Axis and Nocturnal Blood Pressure

NIH-funded research University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11249139

See if taking a medicine at night that raises heart hormone levels helps obese adults with high blood pressure get healthier nighttime blood pressure drops.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Birmingham, United States)
Project IDNIH-11249139 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would join a project for obese adults who have high blood pressure that does not drop at night. Researchers plan to give a drug that raises natriuretic peptide levels and also reduces RAAS activity at night to try to realign the 24-hour hormone and blood pressure rhythm. Participants will wear ambulatory blood pressure monitors around the clock and have blood samples taken to track hormone timing. The team will compare nighttime dosing with usual care to see if nighttime blood pressure dipping improves.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults with obesity and hypertension who show a non-dipping nighttime blood pressure pattern and can attend clinic visits and wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor are the best fit.

Not a fit: People who are not obese, who already have normal nighttime blood pressure dipping, or who cannot take neprilysin-inhibiting drugs due to medical contraindications likely would not benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could restore healthier nighttime blood pressure drops and lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems in obese adults with high blood pressure.

How similar studies have performed: Drugs that boost natriuretic peptides have helped patients with heart failure and can lower blood pressure, but using nighttime dosing specifically to re-synchronize hormone rhythms and fix non-dipping nocturnal blood pressure is a relatively new approach with limited direct evidence.

Where this research is happening

Birmingham, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.