Effects of an oral water load and intravenous administration of isotonic glucose, hypertonic saline, mannitol and furosemide on the release of atrial natriuretic peptide in men.

The effects of an oral water load and iv administration of isotonic glucose, hypertonic saline, mannitol and furosemide on release of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) were examined in normal subjects to determine the main factors causing its release. In addition, the influence of age on hANP secretion was investigated. The mean plasma hANP level in normal subjects, 0-89 years old, was 20.6 +/- 1.1 ng/l (mean +/- SEM) and showed age-related change. The plasma hANP level did not change significantly after a water load or infusion of isotonic glucose, but rose significantly from 11.4 +/- 1.4 to 15.6 +/- 3.2 ng/l after infusion of hypertonic saline and from 10.9 +/- 1.6 to 17.8 +/- 4.1 ng/l after infusion of 20% mannitol in parallel with the increase in plasma volume. The plasma hANP level decreased from 17.3 +/- 2.5 to 9.0 +/- 2.5 ng/l after injection of 40 mg of furosemide. A positive correlation was found between change in the plasma hANP level and percent change in the plasma volume (P less than 0.001) on these treatments. The response of plasma hANP to hypertonic saline infusion was greater in older than in young men. These results indicate that 1) the secretion of hANP shows an age-related change and 2) increase in the circulating plasma volume is an important factor regulating hANP secretion.