CCN2 and cardiac hypertrophy: Furthermore, mRNA expression levels of cardiac hypertrophy-related genes such as atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and beta myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) and fibrosis-related genes such as collagen I, collagen III, CTGF, and TGF-β1 are also increased in aortic banding-induced experimental cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis [9].