Two natriuretic substances in extracts of urine from normal man when salt-depleted and salt-loaded

When the extra-cellular fluid volume is expanded, the subsequent rise in urinary sodium excretion that occurs is due in part to a change in the concentration of some circulating natriuretic substance. Two natriuretic substances with different characteristics on Sephadex chromatography have been previously been identified separately by different workers. Extracts prepared from the urine of 31 normal subjects were tested for these two natriuretic materials in the normal conscious water-loaded rat. Two natriuretic fractions were found. The larger of the two was prepared on G50 Sephadex, and the smaller on G25 Sephadex. The natriuresis produced by the larger material was slow to develop and persisted for two hours. The natriuresis produced by the smaller material was maximal in the first 20 min, declined rapidly within the next 40 min, and tended to rise again during the subsequent 60 min. The amount of natriuretic activity that could be extracted from the freeze-dried urine was diminished by high concentrations of sodium chloride. The natriuretic activity of both materials was greater in the urine of the subjects when they were salt-loaded than when they were salt-depleted. The urine of salt-depleted subjects contained significant amounts of natriuretic material.