C-type natriuretic peptide attenuates renal osteodystrophy through inhibition of FGF-23/MAPK signaling

Abstract

Bone disease: Treating a complication of chronic kidney disease A naturally occurring peptide (a small protein) might be useful for treating renal osteodystrophy (ROD), a bone disease common in people with chronic kidney disease. ROD develops when kidney disease disrupts the normal metabolism of calcium, phosphate and vitamin D essential to healthy bones. Peng Hu and colleagues at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, found that administering ‘C-type natriuretic peptide’ intravenously to rats which had been surgically and chemically treated to induce a condition modelling ROD in humans resulted in improvement. The therapeutic effect of the peptide was mediated by inhibiting a molecular signaling pathway which leads to the over-production of a specific fibroblast growth factor protein in bone cells in ROD. The significance of these results for humans should be investigated further.