AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 252, Issue 6 E740-E745, Copyright © 1987 by American Physiological Society
Epinephrine increases plasma immunoreactive atrial natriuretic hormone levels in humans
J. A. Sanfield, Y. Shenker, R. J. Grekin and S. G. Rosen
Six normal human subjects each underwent sequential 80-min infusions of
saline and epinephrine (EPI) at 0.55 and 2.75 micrograms X min-1 X m-2 to
determine the role of EPI in the control of atrial natriuretic hormone
(ANH) in humans. Plasma immunoreactive-ANH (IR-ANH) levels nearly doubled
in response to the infusion of EPI at 0.55 microgram X min-1 X m-2 (P less
than 0.05) and then plateaued; heart rate accelerated significantly (P less
than 0.01) with increasing plasma EPI levels, whereas systolic blood
pressure increased only with higher plasma EPI levels (P less than 0.05).
To determine whether beta-adrenergic mechanisms mediate the EPI-induced
increase in IR-ANH, six additional subjects each received infusions on two
separate days of saline for 240 min and the beta-adrenergic antagonist
propranolol followed by propranolol plus EPI at 2.75 micrograms X min-1 X
min-2 each for 80 min. Neither saline nor propranolol plus EPI caused a
significant increase in plasma IR-ANH. We conclude that EPI increases
plasma IR-ANH through beta-adrenergic mechanisms in humans.
beta-Adrenergic-mediated increases in plasma IR-ANH levels appear to be
unrelated to changes in the heart rate.
