NPPA and atherosclerosis: Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a 28-amino-acid peptide hormone produced by the cardiac atria, has been involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1, 2] and its risk factors e.g., hypertension [3, 4], atherosclerosis [5], and diabetes [19, 20], through enhancing natriuresis, diuresis, and vasodilatation [6, 7].