Augmentation of the effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide aerosol on pulmonary hypertension via coapplication of a neutral endopeptidase 24.11 inhibitor.

A deficiency of the pulmonary vasodilative vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) has been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Supplementation of VIP as an aerosol is hampered by the fact that it is rapidly inactivated by neutral endopeptidases (NEP) located on the lung surface. Coapplication of thiorphan, an NEP 24.