Resveratrol-Induced Suppression of C-type Natriuretic Peptide Associates With Increased Vertebral Bone Density in Postmenopausal Women.

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a paracrine growth factor essential in driving endochondral bone growth in mammals including humans. Despite evidence from animal experiments and tissues that CNP signaling stimulates osteoblast proliferation and osteoclast activity, whether CNP participates in bone remodeling in the mature skeleton is unknown. Using stored plasma samples from a previous randomized controlled clinical trial (RESHAW) of resveratrol supplementation in postmenopausal women exhibiting mild osteopenia, we have studied changes in plasma aminoterminal proCNP (NTproCNP) and concurrent change in bone turnover markers of formation (osteocalcin [OC] and alkaline phosphatase [ALP]) and resorption (C-terminal telopeptide type 1 collagen [CTX]) with bone mineral density (BMD) over a 2-year period of study in 125 subjects.

Circulating products of C-type natriuretic peptide and links with organ function in health and disease.

Paracrine actions of CNP and rapid degradation at source severely limit study of CNP's many roles in vivo. However provided sensitive and validated assays are used, there is increasing evidence that low concentrations of bioactive CNP in plasma, and the readily detectable concentrations of the bio-inactive processed product of proCNP (aminoterminal proCNP), can be used to advance understanding of the hormone's role in pathophysiology. Provided renal function is normal, concordant changes in both CNP and NTproCNP reflect change in tissue production of proCNP whereas change in CNP alone results from altered rates of bioactive CNP degradation and are reflected in the ratio of NTproCNP to CNP.