Ropinirole treatment in Parkinson's disease associated with higher serum level of inflammatory biomarker NT-proCNP

There is rapidly growing evidence for the influence of inflammation on the development and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). N-terminal pro C-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proCNP) is a novel potential inflammatory biomarker and has been recently correlated in PD with pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, especially TNF-α and IL-10. The study aims to explore serum level of NT-proCNP in group consisted of 132 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (age 59.6 ± 15.l years) and 46 healthy controls (age 58.5 ± 11.5 years). Serum level of NT-proCNP was significantly higher in PD patients than in the control group (p < 0.05; PD vs control: mean 3.65 ± 5.5 vs 1.49 ± 0.73, median 1.81 vs 1.46). The serum level of NT-proCNP was directly correlated with the treatment with dopamine agonist (ropinirole) (R = 0.38; p < 0.05). The higher serum level of NT-proCNP in PD patients being treated with ropinirole suggests a potential proinflammatory characteristic of dopamine agonists.