CNP transcriptomic profiling in HF patients as a function of clinical severity

The aim of this study was to evaluate the transcriptomic profiling of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and of its specific receptor, NPR-B, in human leukocytes of heart failure (HF) patients (NYHA I-II, n=7; NYHA III-IV, n=13) as a function of clinical severity by Real-time PCR. A control group (C, n=8) was also evaluated. Significantly higher levels of CNP mRNA expression were found in HF as a function of clinical severity (p=0.005 C vs NYHA III-IV, p=0.017 NYHA I-II vs NYHA III-IV) and NPR-B transcript levels resulted down-regulated in HF patients with higher NYHA class (p=0.001 C vs NYHA III-IV, p<0.0001 NYHA I-II vs. NYHA III-IV). These results suggest a co-regulation of NPR-B and CNP expression supporting the relevance of this receptor in human disease characterized by a marked inflammatory/immune component.