Neutral endopeptidase and natriuretic peptide receptors participate in the regulation of C-type natriuretic peptide expression in renal interstitial fibrosis

Abstract

The initiation and progression of renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is a complicated process in which many factors may play an activate role. Among these factors, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is an endothelium-derived hormone and acts in a local, paracrine fashion to regulate vascular smooth muscle tone and proliferation. In this study, we established a rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). CNP expression tends to be higher immediately after ligation and declined at later time points, occurring predominantly in tubular epithelial cells. A high-level CNP may contribute to the elevated expression of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-B in the early phase of UUO. However, the sustained expression of NPR-C and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) observed throughout the study period (that is up to 3 months) helps to, at least partly, explain the subsequent decline of CNP. Thus, NEP and NPRs participate in the regulation of CNP expression in RIF.

Keywords:

• C-type natriuretic peptide
• natriuretic peptide receptor
• neutral endopeptidase
• renal interstitial fibrosis
• unilateral ureteral obstruction

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding information

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81570637 and No. 81000306) and the Post-Doctoral Foundation of Anhui Medical University (No. 2009KJ02).