Atrial natriuretic peptide levels in fetal blood in relation to inferior vena cava velocity waveforms

To investigate whether atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) release during paroxysmal tachycardia is due to increased atrial rate or increased atrial pressure, plasma ANP concentrations were measured during atrial pacing at increasing rates in six alpha-chloralose-anesthetized dogs whose atrial pressures were maintained artificially low by balloon occlusion of the inferior vena cava (IVC). These ANP concentrations were compared with those seen during identical increasing atrial rates in the same dogs without IVC occlusion. During incremental pacing without IVC occlusion, pulmonary wedge pressure (PWP; mean +/- SE) rose progressively from 5.3 +/- 1.6 at 200 to 20.2 +/- 2.3 mmHg at 350 beats/min (P less than 0.01), and right atrial pressure (RAP) rose progressively from 2.5 +/- 0.9 at 200 to 6.7 +/- 2.1 mmHg at 350 beats/min (P less than 0.05). At the same time, arterial and coronary sinus ANP concentrations rose from 116 +/- 55 and 339 +/- 91 to 1,126 +/- 226 and 1,960 +/- 456 pmol/l, respectively (P less than 0.01). In contrast, incremental pacing with IVC occlusion produced no significant increase in PWP and RAP. Arterial and coronary sinus ANP concentrations during IVC occlusion were, respectively, 208 +/- 126 and 388 +/- 159 at 200 and 261 +/- 83 and 345 +/- 80 pmol/l at 350 beats/min (NS). This study demonstrates that the release of ANP during tachycardia is primarily dependent on increased atrial pressure and not atrial rate.

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Role of atrial appendages in modulating stimulated plasma atrial natriuretic peptide levels in conscious rats

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.1990.259.5.r1017 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 259 (5) ◽

pp. R1017-R1024

Author(s):

A. Hoffman ◽

E. Grossman ◽

H. R. Keiser

Keyword(s):

Atrial Natriuretic Peptide ◽

Natriuretic Peptide ◽

Plasma Levels ◽

Sodium Excretion ◽

Volume Expansion ◽

Vena Cava ◽

Urinary Sodium Excretion ◽

Basal Plasma ◽

Atrial Natriuretic

To evaluate the role of the atrial appendages in modulating plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), we applied a series of both acute and chronic stimuli in conscious, chronic, bilaterally atrial-appendectomized (APP) and sham-operated control rats. Basal plasma ANP levels and urinary sodium excretion were normal in all rats after APP. The release of ANP was markedly blunted to acute volume expansion (+67% vs. +357% in controls, P less than 0.01) but was only moderately reduced after norepinephrine infusion (+106% vs. +212%, P less than 0.05) and was normal after acute salt load [+148% vs. +180% in controls, not significant (NS)]. Furthermore, plasma levels of ANP were increased normally in APP rats treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (270 + 18 vs. 296 + 14 pg/ml in controls, NS) and in APP rats with congestive heart failure induced by a large arteriovenous (a-v) fistula between the aorta and the vena cava (306 +/- 18 vs. 302 +/- 12 pg/ml, NS). Sodium excretion patterns were similar in chronically stimulated APP and control rats. The results demonstrate that, although APP reduces the response of ANP release to acute volume expansion, it does not do so to other stimuli of either acute or chronic nature, suggesting that there is no permanent defect in the ability of APP rats to secrete ANP. These studies confirm that the atria are the major source for ANP release into the circulation after acute intravascular volume expansion. However, other tissue sources may contribute significantly to the levels of circulating ANP in response to this and other acute and chronic stimuli.

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