Premium
Amino‐terminal propeptide of C ‐type natriuretic peptide ( NT pro CNP ) predicts height velocity in healthy children
Author(s) -
Olney Robert C.,
Permuy Joseph W.,
Prickett Timothy C. R.,
Han Joan C.,
Espiner Eric A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2012.04392.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , natriuretic peptide , radioimmunoassay , biology , chemistry , heart failure
Summary Objective C ‐type natriuretic peptide ( CNP ) is a paracrine regulatory factor of the growth plate and plays a key role in endochondral growth. Its amino‐terminal propeptide ( NT pro CNP ) is an equimolar product of CNP biosynthesis and is easily measured in plasma. Preliminary studies suggest that NT pro CNP levels correlate with height velocity in sheep and children. The objectives of the study were to correlate NT pro CNP levels with height velocity and to define the reference range for plasma CNP and NT pro CNP across childhood. Design This was a prospective, cross‐sectional, observational study of healthy children. Patients Participants were 258 healthy children between 2 months and 20 years of age. Measurements Anthropometrics were obtained and CNP and NT pro CNP levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. Results For both sexes, CNP and NT pro CNP levels were high in infancy, lower in early childhood, rising during puberty, then falling to low adult levels. Levels of NT pro CNP peaked at 14·1 years in boys and 11·9 years in girls, coincident with the age of peak height velocity. Levels of NT pro CNP varied with pubertal status, peaking at genital Tanner stage IV in boys and III in girls. There was a highly significant correlation between NT pro CNP and height velocity. Conclusions C ‐type natriuretic peptide plays an integral role in endochondral growth. We show here that CNP synthesis (as measured by NT pro CNP levels in plasma) is closely related to linear growth in healthy children at all ages. We propose NT pro CNP as a biomarker of linear growth.