Atrial natriuretic factor reduces renin release by opposing alpha-adrenoceptor activity

To examine how atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) inhibits renin release during renal sympathetic nerve stimulation, experiments were performed in barbiturate-anesthetized dogs. In five dogs, intravenous ANF infusion (50 ng.min-1.kg body wt-1) reduced renin release induced by renal nerve stimulation (1 Hz) from 16.8 +/- 8.4 to 3.5 +/- 2.1 micrograms angiotensin I (ANG I)/min. In two groups, renin release was raised by ureteral occlusion, which enhances the effects of beta-adrenoceptor stimulation and increased prostaglandin synthesis. During ureteral occlusion, intrarenal infusion of isoproterenol (0.2 micrograms.min-1.kg body wt-1) increased renin release in eight dogs to 82.6 +/- 10.9 micrograms ANG I/min, which was not significantly reduced by ANF infusion (81.1 +/- 10.1 micrograms ANG I/min). Similarly, intrarenal infusion of arachidonic acid (80 micrograms.min-1.kg body wt-1) during ureteral occlusion increased renin release in five dogs to 22.2 +/- 3.0 micrograms ANG I/min, which was not significantly reduced by ANF infusion (22.5 +/- 3.5 micrograms ANG I/min). Finally, in six dogs examined at free urine flow, intrarenal infusion of phenylephrine, an alpha-adrenergic agonist, raised renin release from 0.5 +/- 0.3 to 20.1 +/- 6.8 micrograms ANG I/min, which was reduced to 10.6 +/- 3.9 micrograms ANG I/min by intravenous ANF infusion (100 ng.min-1.kg body wt-1). These results indicate that ANF does not counteract stimulation of renin release by beta-adrenoceptors and prostaglandins but reduces nerve-stimulated renin release by opposing alpha-adrenoceptor activity.