NPPB and cardiac hypertrophy: Additionally, the protein expression of BNP, a pressure-overload/heart-failure biomarker and protein expression of beta myosin heavy chain (ß-MHC), a cardiac hypertrophy/pressure-overload biomarker, exhibited an identical pattern, whereas the protein expression of α-MHC, an indicator of reversed cardiac hypertrophy, exhibited an opposite pattern of apoptosis among the three groups (Figure 9).