The influence of resting tension on immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide secretion by rat atria superfused in vitro.

Atrial natriuretic peptide is a potent diuretic hormone secreted by the atria in response to volume expansion. We examined the effect of resting tension on atrial natriuretic peptide secretion by rat atria superfused in vitro. Left atria were hooked between an electrode and force transducer and superfused with medium 199. The atria were studied at a pacing frequency of 0 or 3 Hz. Atrial natriuretic peptide content of the superfusate was measured by radioimmunoassay. In nonpaced and paced atria, increasing resting tension three- to five-fold caused immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide secretion to increase by 35 +/- 5% (mean +/- SEM, n = 6, p less than 0.01) and 30 +/- 3% (n = 4, p less than 0.01), respectively. Lowering resting tension by 50% in nonpaced and paced atria lowered immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide secretion by 30 +/- 3% (n = 7, p less than 0.01) and 24 +/- 3% (n = 6, p less than 0.01), respectively. To exclude the possibility that release of norepinephrine or acetylcholine from endogenous nerve endings was mediating this effect, the atria were superfused with the combination of propranolol 0.1 microM, phentolamine 1.0 microM, and atropine 10 microM. These concentrations of the antagonists were 125-fold or higher than their Kd for binding to their respective receptors. The antagonists did not block the rise in immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide secretion; neither did they inhibit an established rise in immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide secretion induced by increasing the resting tension.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)