NPPB and cardiac hypertrophy: VEGFs have been previously shown to induce a gene expression programme consistent with compensatory cardiac hypertrophy, by elevation of Anf, Bnp, αMHC, Serca-2α, Ryr2 and Pgc1α, and by inhibition of βMHC and skeletal alpha-actin (sk α-act) (Zentilin et al., 2010).