The physiology of atrial natriuretic factor

Following the discovery of the natriuretic effect of atrial extract, our laboratory attempted to dissect the possible physiological role of atrial natriuretic factor. Initial micropuncture experiments demonstrated that the reduction of tubular sodium reabsorption was localized in the medullary collecting duct, a nephron site in which sodium transport was known to be inhibited after acute hypervolemia. Partial removal of the endogenous source of atrial natriuretic factor was associated with a reduced renal response to hypervolemia, confirming that the factor is causally involved in acute sodium balance. In vitro incubation of atrial tissue was used to investigate mechanisms of release of atrial natriuretic factor. It was found that agonists known to activate the intracellular polyphosphoinositide system in other tissues were effective in releasing natriuretic activity from the atria into the incubation medium. To determine whether atrial natriuretic factor might play a role in hypertension, atrial natriuretic content was measured in spontaneously hypertensive rats and their normotensive controls. Hypertension was associated with increased content. Since the renal response to exogenous factor was not impaired in these animals, we suggested that the increased content might play a compensatory role. Our early studies thus indicated that atrial natriuretic factor was a previously unrecognized hormone involved in cardiovascular regulation.