title: Expression of C-type natriuretic peptide in human placenta and myometrium in normal pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation. Preliminary results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a vasoactive hormone and the endothelial component of the natriuretic peptide system. At present, nothing is known about CNP expression in human reproductive tissue. Since CNP shows antimitogenic and vasodilatative properties, it was the aim of the study to investigate whether CNP expression is altered in placenta and myometrium from pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation.
  
  
  METHODS
  CNP expression was examined by RNase protection assay in human placenta and myometrium from six normal term pregnancies, six pregnancies with preterm delivery and six pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In placenta and myometrium, CNP expression levels did not differ between term and preterm pregnancies (40 vs. 28 weeks of gestation). In pregnancies with IUGR (34 weeks of gestation) placental CNP expression was significantly decreased (100.00 +/- 18.6 vs. 67.09 +/- 8.7; p < 0.05). In the myometrium from IUGR pregnancies CNP expression was significantly increased to 191.48 +/- 42.5 (vs. 100.00 +/- 15.4; p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CNP is expressed in human placenta and myometrium with no dependency on gestational age in the third trimester. Pregnancies with IUGR show an opposite regulation of CNP in placenta and myometrium, which indicates an organ-specific function of the peptide in human reproductive tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Leipzig, Germany. steh@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stepan
authors.forename: Renaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.forename: Stegemann
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stegemann
authors.forename: Heinz-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Schultheiss
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Walther
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009215:Myometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020098:Natriuretic Peptide, C-Type / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000378:metabolism*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020098:Natriuretic Peptide, C-Type