Adrenergic effect on the atrial natriuretic peptide secretion and vasoconstriction induced in the perfused rat heart by phorbol ester.

Infusion of a phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), known to stimulate protein kinase C, caused a gradual, sustained increase in perfusate immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (IR-ANP) concentration and a more rapid increase in perfusion pressure in the isolated perfused rat heart. Administration of isoprenaline resulted in a rapid rise in IR-ANP release whereas methoxamine induced a sustained increase in IR-ANP secretion into the perfusion fluid. Methoxamine, when infused in combination with TPA, enhanced both IR-ANP secretion and the increase in perfusion pressure produced by phorbol ester. Isoprenaline also acted synergistically on TPA-induced IR-ANP release but attenuated the coronary vasoconstriction produced by phorbol ester. The TPA-induced increase in IR-ANP secretion was attenuated significantly by infusion of atenolol and slightly by infusion of prazosin, neither of which affected TPA-induced vasoconstriction. The vasoconstrictor response to infusion of phorbol ester was similar but the secretory response was attenuated in hearts from rats pretreated with reserpine. The results indicate that adrenoceptor stimulation interacts differentially with phorbol ester-induced ANP secretion and vasoconstriction in the perfused rat heart. Our results also suggest that the effect of TPA on perfusion pressure appears to be due to its direct action on vascular smooth muscle cells but that a part of the TPA effect on ANP secretion may be an indirect one.