Plasma Immunoreactive Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Concentrations Research Articles

Atrial natriuretic peptide in Type 2 diabetes mellitus: response to a physiological mixed meal and relationship to renal function

Relatively few data exist on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) characteristics in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Therefore, plasma immunoreactive ANP concentrations were measured before and for 4 h following the ingestion of a physiological mixed meal in 8 newly diagnosed, normotensive, normoalbuminuric, patients with Type 2 DM and 6 normotensive, non-diabetic controls. In patients with Type 2 DM, basal plasma ANP concentrations were 4.0 +/- 2.0 and not significantly changed following ingestion of the meal, with peak levels of 4.9 +/- 2.8 pmol l(-1). Non-diabetic controls had higher basal plasma ANP concentrations, 8.7 +/- 3.4 pmol l(-1) (p < 0.05), significantly increasing to a peak of 11.9 +/- 6.3 pmol l(-1) at 30 min post meal. Extracellular fluid volume (ECV) was not different between diabetic patients and controls (15877 +/- 2679 vs 13668 +/- 1792 ml3). Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (isotopic clearance corrected for body surface area) was elevated in diabetic patients (mean +/- SD) 130 +/- 39 vs 98 +/- 10 ml min(-1), p < 0.05). For the DM subjects, basal ANP levels were negatively correlated with GFR (rs - 0.74, p < 0.05) and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) (rs - 0.8, p < 0.05). We conclude that patients with Type 2 DM demonstrate reduced basal plasma ANP concentrations which are inversely correlated to renal function. In contrast to non-diabetic controls, ANP in Type 2 DM does not rise in response to feeding.

Induction of cardiac natriuretic peptide gene expression in rats trained in hypobaric hypoxic conditions.

Adaptation of cardiac muscle to prolonged hypobaric hypoxia (770-740 mbar, 2,250-2,550 m), endurance training, and their combination was studied in rats by investigating the gene expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in atria and ventricles. Rats were assigned into the following groups according to the barometric conditions and physical activity; normobaric sedentary (NS), normobaric training, hypobaric sedentary (HS), and hypobaric training (HT). Experimental periods were 10, 21, and 56 days; the groups at 91 days served as recovery groups from exposure to and training in normobaric and hypobaric conditions for 56 days. The right ventricular hypertrophy in HT rats at 10 days and 56 days was associated with elevated BNP mRNA levels (2.1- and 1.7-fold, P < 0.05, respectively), whereas hypobaric exposure without training was not sufficient to significantly increase ventricular BNP gene expression, although it lead to hypertrophy of the right ventricle. Right and left atrial BNP mRNA levels were also increased (up to 3.9-fold, P < 0.01) in 10-day HS and 10-day HT groups. ANP mRNA levels in right ventricle and left ventricular epicardium were over twofold higher (P < 0.05-0.01) in 10-day HS and 10-day HT groups in comparison to 10-day NS group. Plasma immunoreactive ANP concentration was increased (P < 0.05) in both hypobaric groups up to 21 days. The results show that exposure to hypobaric hypoxia itself and endurance training in hypobaric, hypoxic conditions lead to a marked early increase in ventricular and atrial ANP and BNP mRNA levels. The adaptational response to hypoxia was more pronounced when the oxygen availability was lowered additionally by endurance training carried out in hypobaric hypoxic conditions.

Role of nitric oxide on cardiac hormone secretion: effect of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester on atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide release.

Endocardial cells, like endothelial cells, release nitric oxide (NO) and may play a role in modulating the contractility of cardiac muscle. We have studied the effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a selective NO synthase inhibitor, on basal and volume expansion-induced secretion of two cardiac hormones, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), in vivo. In conscious chronically cannulated rats, bolus injection of L-NAME at doses of 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg, iv, caused a dose-dependent increase in mean arterial pressure and sustained bradycardia, whereas right atrial pressure remained unchanged. The hemodynamic effects of L-NAME were reversed by simultaneous administration of L-arginine, a precursor of NO. Administration of 3 and 10 mg/kg L-NAME alone increased plasma levels of immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) from 30 +/- 5 to 52 +/- 9 pmol/liter and from 38 +/- 6 to 91 +/- 16 pmol/liter (P < 0.01), respectively, but had no effect on plasma levels of immunoreactive BNP (IR-BNP). The increase in plasma IR-ANP concentration in response to L-NAME infusions showed a positive linear correlation (P < 0.01) with the increase in mean arterial pressure and a negative correlation (P < 0.01) with the changes in heart rate. Acute volume expansion with 0.9% saline in conscious animals resulted in a 3.2-fold increase in plasma IR-ANP levels (from 35 +/- 7 to 113 +/- 15 pmol/liter; P < 0.01), but plasma IR-BNP levels did not change. In the rats pretreated with L-NAME, the relation between the changes from control in plasma IR-ANP and right atrial pressure shifted to the left; the absolute increases corresponding to the 3 mm Hg increase in right atrial pressure were 66 +/- 13, 76 +/- 15, 135 +/- 33, and 148 +/- 24 pmol/liter in the control and 1 mg/kg L-NAME, 3 mg/kg L-NAME-, and 10 mg/kg L-NAME-treated groups, respectively. The combined infusion of L-NAME and L-arginine attenuated the L-NAME-induced increase in ANP release. Our results show that L-NAME increases basal plasma IR-ANP levels and enhances stretch-induced ANP release, suggesting that secretion of ANP in response to volume load may be modulated by the locally released nitric oxide from the endothelium. Further, acute regulation of BNP secretion in response to inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and volume load differs from that of ANP.

Modulation of endothelin effects on blood pressure and hematocrit by atrial natriuretic peptide.

Infusion of endothelin has been observed to increase hematocrit, and the peptide also stimulates release of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) both in vitro and in vivo. We studied the relation of these two actions of endothelin in anesthetized, bilaterally nephrectomized Sprague-Dawley rats. Infusion of endothelin (25 ng/kg/min) for 45 minutes produced a modest increase in blood pressure of 12% from a baseline of 99 +/- 5 mm Hg and an increase in hematocrit of 8.0 +/- 0.6%, reflecting a reduction in plasma volume of 13.1 +/- 0.9%. These changes each exceeded greatly those observed after 45 minutes of vehicle infusion. Plasma protein concentration, however, increased only by 4.2 +/- 0.6%, suggesting protein extravasation, which was confirmed by finding an endothelin-dependent increase in the accumulation of Evans blue dye in heart, skeletal muscle, and intestine, but not liver, lung, brain, or testis. Endothelin infusion increased plasma immunoreactive ANP concentration from 196 +/- 50 to 722 +/- 203 pg/ml (p less than 0.02), and a close correlation existed between the increase in plasma immunoreactive ANP and immunoreactive endothelin concentrations as a result of the infusion (r = 0.84, p less than 0.01). Pretreatment of rats with rabbit anti-rat ANP antiserum did not affect baseline variables but led to an exaggerated increase in blood pressure (25.3 +/- 2.9%, p less than 0.002 versus endothelin alone). No change in hematocrit occurred. Thus, the increase in plasma immunoreactive ANP concentration resulting from endothelin infusion mediates the increase in hematocrit through an increase in vascular permeability to whole plasma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Regulation of ventricular atrial natriuretic peptide release in hypertrophied rat myocardium. Effects of exercise.

Left ventricular hypertrophy is characterized by stimulation of ventricular synthesis of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the increased ventricular ANP levels participate in the release of ANP into the circulation. Swimming was used as a physiologic model to induce ANP release from the heart, and atrial and ventricular levels of immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) and ANP messenger RNA (mRNA) were measured simultaneously in the spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats at rest and after swimming. IR-ANP concentration in the left ventricle of 1-year-old SHR with severe left ventricular hypertrophy was increased in association with the augmentation of ANP mRNA levels, whereas right ventricular levels of ANP were reduced in SHR compared with normotensive controls. A 30-minute exercise in hypertensive and in normotensive rats resulted in marked increases in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, plasma catecholamine levels, blood lactate levels, and plasma IR-ANP concentration. The increased ANP secretion was associated with a decrease in left (34-39%) and right (24%) ventricular concentration of IR-ANP; transmurally, this depletion of ventricular IR-ANP was greatest (28%) in the endocardial layer of the left ventricle of SHR. No significant differences were noted in total atrial and left or right auricular IR-ANP concentration between SHR and WKY rats or between the resting and swimming rats. When studied in vitro with an isolated, perfused heart preparation, the hypertrophic ventricular tissue after atrialectomy secreted more ANP into the perfusate than did control hearts; in SHR, ventricles contributed 28% of the total ANP release to perfusate, and in normotensive control rats, ventricles contributed 8%. These studies show that stimulated release of ANP is associated with depletion of endocardial left ventricular stores. The amount of ANP released in vitro and in vivo correlated with the degree of hypertrophy of the ventricle. Finally, the phorbol ester, known to increase ANP secretion from intact perfused hearts, had only a limited effect on ANP release after atrialectomy, suggesting that the secretion of ANP from ventricular cells may be mainly of the constitutive type.

Atrial Natriuretic Peptide in Plasma, Atria, Ventricles, and Hypothalamus of Long-Evans and Vasopressin- Deficient Brattleboro Rats*

To evaluate the role of vasopressin in the regulation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion, the plasma, atrial, ventricular, and hypothalamic levels of ANP were measured in Long-Evans (LE) and vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro (DI) rats. Total atrial immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) as well as right auricular IR-ANP concentration were higher in the DI than in the LE rats, whereas no significant difference was noted in left auricular IR-ANP concentration. In the left ventricle of DI rats, the IR-ANP concentration was 82% greater than that in the LE rats, while no substantial difference was found in the right ventricular IR-ANP concentration between the strains. Normal LE rats had low levels of left ventricular ANP mRNA and barely detectable ANP mRNA in the right ventricle, DI rats showed a 3-fold greater ANP mRNA concentration in the left ventricle than age-matched LE controls, and ANP mRNA levels were also increased in the left auricle of DI rats. The hypothalamic IR-ANP content, but not the concentration, was significantly increased in the DI compared to the LE rats. Despite increased cardiac IR-ANP and ANP mRNA levels, plasma IR-ANP concentrations were similar in the conscious DI rats (97 +/- 9 pg/ml; n = 13) and the LE rats (95 +/- 8 pg/ml; n = 15). Volume expansion (1.1 ml/100 g BW of 0.9% saline, iv) increased right atrial pressure and caused a significant rise in plasma IR-ANP in both strains (P less than 0.01). Elevations of plasma IR-ANP concentrations caused by volume loading were comparable in LE and DI rats in either the absence or presence of exogenous vasopressin (5 ng/kg.min, iv), which, when infused alone, did not significantly influence the plasma IR-ANP concentration. However, the relation between the change in IR-ANP concentration and the change in right atrial pressure shifted to the left, and thus, for a given increase in right atrial pressure, a greater amount of IR-ANP was released in the vasopressin-treated rats than in the control animals. These results demonstrate that although acute volume expansion does not necessarily require endogenous vasopressin for the ANP secretory response, vasopressin increased the ability of volume expansion to induce ANP release, thus modulating the direct mechanical stimulus-induced ANP secretion. The increased left ventricular levels of immunoreactive ANP and augmentation of ANP mRNA levels in Brattleboro rats despite normal left ventricular weight to body weight ratio show that increased ANP gene expression may occur in the ventricles independently of hypertrophy.

The effect of medetomidine, an α2‐adrenoceptor agonist, on plasma atrial natriuretic peptide levels, haemodynamics and renal excretory function in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar‐Kyoto rats

1. The effects of the selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, medetomidine, were assessed on plasma levels of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (IR-ANP), haemodynamics and on urine water and solute excretion in conscious, chronically cannulated, 7 month-old spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, in order to examine the role of alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the control of ANP secretion. 2. A 60 min i.v. infusion of medetomidine (0.2 or 0.6 microgram kg-1 min-1) decreased heart rate dose-dependently in both strains. Medetomidine infusion (0.6 microgram kg-1 min-1) resulted in an increase in mean arterial pressure in WKY, whereas both doses decreased blood pressure in SHR. There was a slight increase in the right atrial pressure in both strains (WKY: +1.18 +/- 0.26 mmHg; SHR: +1.64 +/- 0.64 mmHg, NS) in response to infusion of 0.6 microgram kg-1 min-1 of medetomidine. 3. No differences were found in resting plasma IR-ANP levels between WKY (114 +/- 8 pg ml-1, n = 19) and SHR (117 +/- 10 pg ml-1, n = 21). Infusion of equibradycardic doses of medetomidine increased dose-dependently plasma IR-ANP levels in WKY, but did not affect the plasma IR-ANP concentration in SHR rats. 4. Despite the different effect of medetomidine on ANP release in WKY and SHR rats, i.v. administration of medetomidine affected renal excretory functions similarly in both strains; urine flow and sodium excretion increased and urine osmolality decreased significantly, while there was no consistent change in urinary potassium excretion. Urine osmolality decreased to hypo-osmotic levels during the infusion of 0.6 yg kg-1 min1 of medetomidine, suggesting a possible interaction between alpha 2-adrenoceptor stimulation and the vasopressin system. 5. These results show that the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist medetomidine increased plasma levels of ANP in WKY rats, probably through an increase in mean arterial and right atrial pressures, whereas the SHR had attenuated ANP release to alpha 2-adrenoceptor stimulation. Our findings, that medetomidine caused marked natriuretic and diuretic effects in both strains and that these effects on the excretory functions of the kidneys were not related to changes in plasma levels of IR-ANP, demonstrate that changes in plasma ANP levels alone do not account for the diuretic and natriuretic effect of alpha 2-agonists.

Pressor hormones regulate atrial-stretch-induced release of atrial natriuretic peptide in the pithed rat.

Atrial wall stretching is a known stimulus for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion. The effects of the stimulation of autonomic nervous system, hemodynamic factors, and humoral factors (epinephrine, angiotensin, vasopressin, and brain extracts) on the release of ANP under basal conditions and during increased atrial pressure produced by acute volume loading in pithed rats were examined. In conscious rats, acute volume expansion by 0.9% of saline (4 ml) increased the plasma immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) concentrations by a factor of 4 (140 +/- 30 pg/ml vs. 521 +/- 140 pg/ml, p less than 0.001, n = 8), whereas volume-induced ANP release was blocked in pithed rats (75 +/- 9 pg/ml vs. 99 +/- 13 pg/ml, NS, n = 7). The ANP versus right atrial pressure curve shifted to the right, indicating that much smaller amounts of IR-ANP were released in pithed than in conscious rats for each given increase in right atrial pressure. Electrical vagal and sympathetic nerve stimulation or changes in heart rate had no effect on plasma IR-ANP concentrations and failed to restore the volume-load-induced release of ANP in pithed rats. When extracts of anterior pituitary lobe, brain cortex, or hypothalamus were infused, no effect on volume-expansion-induced plasma IR-ANP levels was seen. In contrast, acute volume expansion caused a fourfold increase in levels of circulating IR-ANP in pithed rats that received posterior pituitary extracts, and the ANP versus right atrial pressure curve shifted markedly to the left. Infusion of a V1 antagonist blocked the volume-expansion-induced ANP release produced by the posterior pituitary extract. When [Arg8]-vasopressin (0.025 or 0.05 micrograms/kg/min) was infused to pithed rats, mean arterial pressure increased but basal plasma IR-ANP did not change significantly. However, acute volume expansion in the presence of vasopressin infusion (0.05 micrograms/kg/min) increased the amount of circulating IR-ANP by a factor of 4 (113 +/- 14 pg/ml vs. 414 +/- 43 pg/ml, p less than 0.001, n = 8). Thus, for a given increase in right atrial pressure, a similar amount of IR-ANP was released in the pithed rat during the vasopressin infusion as in the normal conscious animal. V1 antagonist blocked the increase in mean aterial pressure as well as the increase of plasma IR-ANP produced by [Arg8]-vasopressin. In addition, volume expansion during intravenous epinephrine (1.75 micrograms/kg/min) and angiotensin (1.0 micrograms/kg/min) doubled plasma IR-ANP levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide in ventricles, atria, hypothalamus, and plasma of genetically hypertensive rats.

To evaluate the role of extra-atrial atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in volume and blood pressure regulation, the plasma, atrial, ventricular, and hypothalamic levels of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (IR-ANP) were measured simultaneously in the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) at the ages of 2, 6, and 12 months. Plasma IR-ANP in the 12-month-old, conscious SHR was significantly higher than that of the WKY (300 +/- 18 versus 200 +/- 20 pg/ml, p less than 0.05, n = 9), while no differences in plasma IR-ANP levels were found between the strains in younger rats. Acute volume expansion with saline (1.1 ml/100 g body wt) in hypertensive as well as in normotensive rats resulted in marked increases in right atrial pressure and plasma IR-ANP concentration. The older SHR had attenuated ANP release to volume loading as shown by the shift of the ANP versus right atrial pressure curve to the right. Right auricular IR-ANP concentration decreased, while that of left auricle increased with increasing age in both strains. No substantial differences were noted in auricular ANP concentration between SHR and WKY. However, the total atrial IR-ANP content (micrograms/atria) was consistently lower in SHR compared with WKY. In both ventricles, IR-ANP concentrations and contents increased with increasing age in WKY and SHR, but the ventricular levels of ANP were reduced in ventricles of the SHR heart compared with normotensive controls. The depletion of total ventricular IR-ANP was greatest in SHR with greatest ventricular hypertrophy and coincided with the attenuated ANP release to acute volume load. The increase of left but not right ventricular weight occurring secondary to 6 weeks minoxidil treatment was accompanied by higher ANP concentration in both strains. In contrast to the ventricles, the hypothalamic IR-ANP concentration was significantly increased in SHR compared with that of WKY and decreased in both strains after 6 weeks' treatment with antihypertensive drugs. Thus, ventricular and hypothalamic, as well as atrial, ANP respond to increased pressure overload in genetically hypertensive rats. Our results suggest that chronic stimulation of ANP release from ventricles is associated with depleted stores of ANP from both ventricles and reduced response to acute volume load. Our findings that ventricular ANP increased with increasing weight and in response to a hypertrophic stimulus in WKY and was decreased in SHR with severe ventricular hypertrophy suggest that ANP may locally have an inhibitory effect on the development of cardiac hypertrophy.

Plasma and atrial levels of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) in pulmonary hypertensive rats

Immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (IR-ANP) was measured in plasma and atrium of normal and monocrotaline induced pulmonary hypertensive rats (PH rats). In these animals, there was right ventricular hypertrophy and right ventricular systolic pressure was elevated. Fourteen days after a single dose of monocrotaline (40 mg/kg), plasma IR-ANP concentrations were significantly elevated (964.3 ± 63.0 pg/ml vs. 521.0 ± 81.9 pg/ml in controls, p〈0.001〉, Tissue levels of IR-ANP in the right atrium in PH rats was significantly lower than those in the controls (45.1 ± 3.9 ng/mg vs. 240.5 ± 10.4 ng/mg, p〈0.001〉, while there was no significant difference in tissue levels of atrial IR-ANP in the left atrium between the two groups. Thus, development of pulmonary hypertension led to an increase in release of ANP from the right atrium.

Decreased atrial natriuretic peptide binding in renal medulla in rats with chronic heart failure.

The relations between atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) binding sites in the renal medulla, plasma ANP concentration, and ventricular dysfunction have been studied in rats 4 weeks after myocardial infarction induced by left coronary artery ligation. Plasma ANP concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay, and quantitation of receptors was performed by computerized in vitro autoradiography with 125I-labeled alpha-rat ANP (1-28) as the radioligand. When compared with controls, rats with myocardial infarction had markedly elevated plasma immunoreactive ANP concentrations (462 +/- 82 versus 124 +/- pg/ml, p less than 0.01) and reduced densities of ANP binding in the inner renal medulla (2.93 +/- 0.19 versus 3.53 +/- 0.22 fmol/mg protein, p less than 0.01). Extensive myocardial infarction was associated with a significant decrease in receptor numbers in the inner medulla (33.6 +/- 5.7 versus 95.6 +/- 9.6 fmol/mg protein, p less than 0.01) without significantly altering the affinity constant (1.76 +/- 0.51 versus 1.03 +/- 0.15 x 10(9) M-1, p greater than 0.05). Right ventricular weight increased in proportion to infarct size (r = 0.71, p less than 0.01), and both were correlated with plasma immunoreactive ANP levels (r = 0.74, p less than 0.01 and r = 0.75, p less than 0.01, respectively). Binding densities in the inner medulla of rats with infarcts were negatively correlated with right ventricular weight, plasma immunoreactive ANP concentrations, and also with infarct size (r = -0.92, p less than 0.001; r = -0.78, p less than 0.001; r = -0.77, p less than 0.01, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Atrial natriuretic peptide in dehydrated Long–Evans rats and Brattleboro rats

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was measured by radioimmunoassay in atrial and plasma extracts from normal Long-Evans (LE) rats and Brattleboro-strain diabetes insipidus (DI) rats. LE rats, dehydrated for 72 hours, had an increased plasma osmolality and plasma vasopressin. They also demonstrated a higher atrial immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) content than hydrated animals (72 hr dehydration: 178.2 +/- 30.4 micrograms/g wet weight atria, mean +/- SE, control: 60.4 +/- 8.2; P less than 0.001). Plasma IR-ANP in dehydrated LE rats tended to be lower than hydrated LE but this was not statistically significant [72 hr dehydration: 61.9 +/- 5.9 pg/ml, control: 82.4 +/- 8.2]. IR-ANP concentration in atrial extracts from DI rats, without detectable plasma vasopressin levels but with increased plasma osmolality, was not different from that in hydrated LE rats (DI: 100.6 +/- 13.2 micrograms/g). There was also no significant difference between plasma IR-ANP in DI and hydrated LE rats (DI: 100.2 +/- 11.9 pg/ml). The atrial IR-ANP concentration in DI rats was decreased by infusion with either arginine-vasopressin (AVP) or 1-deamino-8-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP), and plasma IR-ANP was increased significantly by both infusions (AVP: 171.3 +/- 18.1 pg/ml, DDAVP: 179.5 +/- 24.6). Thus, changes in atrial and plasma IR-ANP concentration appeared to be associated with changes in water balance but not with plasma AVP levels, indicating that the changes in volume may be a more important factor controlling ANP release in vivo than vasopressin itself.

Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide in DOCA-NaCl-treated rats.

In order to assess the possible role of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in the development of deoxycorticosterone (DOCA)-NaCl-induced hypertension, plasma immunoreactive ANP concentration was compared with sodium balance and blood pressure in NaCl- or DOCA-NaCl-treated rats. Both NaCl-and DOCA-NaCl-loading increased plasma ANP levels (to 86 +/- 8.1 and 105 +/- 12 pg ml-1 respectively; 47 +/- 6.7-60 +/- 4.6 pg ml-1 in controls), which were correlated to sodium intake and excretion. In DOCA-NaCl-treated rats, the highest ANP levels (105 +/- 12 pg ml-1) were found 4 weeks after the beginning of DOCA-NaCl treatments. Along with the development of DOCA-NaCl hypertension in 1-kidney-DOCA-NaCl-treated rats, however, plasma ANP concentration did not rise further. We conclude that secretion of ANP into the circulation is increased during DOCA-NaCl treatment. Elevated blood pressure does not stimulate ANP release in DOCA-NaCl-treated rats further.