NPPB and myocardial infarction: BNP was initially purified from brain extracts and referred to as “brain natriuretic peptide.” As subsequent studies detected much higher BNP concentrations in cardiac ventricles during cardiac stress such as congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction, it is now termed “B-type natriuretic peptide.” C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), which does not stimulate natriuresis at physiological concentrations, is expressed in chondrocytes, endothelial cells, the heart, distinct neuronal populations, and other tissues (Potter et al. 2006).