Patent ID: 7494979

Claim:
A method for treating a disorder selected from the groups consisting of congestive heart failure, hypertension, salt dependent high blood pressure, hepatic edema and liver cirrhosis, the method comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a composition comprising a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence: Xaa 1 Xaa 2 Xaa 3 Cys 4 Xaa 5 Xaa 6 Xaa 7 Xaa 8 Xaa 9 Xaa 10 Xaa 11 Cys 12 Xaa 13 Xaa 14 Xaa 15 Xaa 16 (SEQ ID NO:1) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein: Xaa 1 is Ser, Asn, Tyr, Ala, Gln, Pro, Lys, Gly, or Thr, or is missing; Xaa 2 is His, Asp, Glu, Ala, Ser, Asn, Gly, or is missing; Xaa 3 is Thr, Asp, Ser, Glu, Pro, Val or Leu; Xaa 5 is Asp, Ile or Glu; Xaa 6 is Ile, Trp or Leu; Xaa 7 is Cys, Ser, or Tyr; Xaa 8 is Ala, Val, Thr, Ile, Met or is missing; Xaa 9 is Phe, Tyr, Asn or Trp; Xaa 10 is Ala, Val, Met, Thr or Ile; Xaa 11 is Ala or Val; Xaa 13 is Ala or Thr; Xaa 14 is Gly, Ala or Ser; Xaa 15 is Cys, Tyr or is missing; and Xaa 16 is His, Leu or Ser.