AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 250, Issue 2 221-R226, Copyright © 1986 by American Physiological Society
Effects of atriopeptin infusion versus effects of left atrial stretch in awake dogs
K. L. Goetz, B. C. Wang, P. G. Geer, W. D. Sundet and P. Needleman
We infused synthetic atriopeptin III intravenously into 10 conscious dogs
while monitoring renal function and systemic hemodynamics. The results
obtained from these infusion experiments were compared with results from
other experiments in which left atrial distension was performed in the same
dogs. Both atriopeptin infusion and left atrial distension caused
significant increases in urine flow, sodium excretion, potassium excretion,
and free water reabsorption and a significant decrease in renal blood flow.
On the other hand, the pattern of systemic hemodynamic responses to
atriopeptin infusion were quite different from the hemodynamic responses
elicited by left atrial distension. However, there was a striking
concordance between the renal effects of atriopeptin and those of left
atrial distension. We therefore hypothesize that the renal response to left
atrial distension in the conscious dog is mediated largely by the release
of natriuretic peptides from the atria.
