Anterior pituitary gland modulates the release of atrial natriuretic peptides from cardiac atria.

Myocytes in the atria contain a prohormone that gives rise to atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP), which have intrinsic hemodynamic regulatory activity. Little is known about mechanisms regulating ANP release. In rats with indwelling catheters, acute blood volume expansion with 5% (wt/vol) dextrose increases the amount of circulating immunoreactive ANP by a factor of 2-3, as determined by radioimmunoassay. Pithing, which both removes neurogenic influences and interrupts humoral influences of the brain and pituitary gland on the heart, completely blocked stimulus-induced release of ANP. Because our studies using pharmacological blockade of the autonomic nervous system had suggested that neurogenic mechanisms do not play a major role in ANP release, we sought a humoral mechanism involved in ANP secretion. Basal and stimulated release of ANP were significantly blunted in hypophysectomized rats (8 days after operation) but were completely restored when the resected anterior pituitary was reimplanted under the kidney capsule. This suggests that hormones of anterior pituitary origin are required for ANP secretion in response to acute volume loading.