Phorbol esters enhance stretch-induced atrial natriuretic peptide secretion

Stretching of atrial myocytes stimulates atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion, but the cellular processes linking mechanical distention to ANP release are unknown. We studied whether or not protein kinase C activation by phorbol ester affects atrial stretch-induced ANP secretion using the modified perfused rat heart preparation that enabled stepwise distention of the right atrium as an experimental model for stretch-stimulated ANP release. The increase in right atrial pressure (2.65 +/- 0.13 mm Hg) was accompanied by an increase in the perfusate immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) concentration (from 8.3 +/- 1.1 ng/5 min to 13.9 +/- 2.0 ng/5 min, P less than 0.05, n = 14). During stretch, a slight inotropic response was observed, while heart rate and perfusion pressure remained unchanged. Increase in right atrial pressure in the presence of a phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), known to stimulate protein kinase C activity in heart cells, resulted in a significantly greater increase in the perfusate IR-ANP concentration than after vehicle infusion. The calculated ANP increase corresponding to the 2 mm Hg increase in the right atrial pressure was 1.52-fold in the control group and 1.84-fold when 10 nM TPA was infused (P less than 0.05). Infusion of TPA at a dose of 24 nM further increased the stretch-induced ANP release by causing 2.22-fold (P less than 0.01) increase in IR-ANP secretion. As judged by gel filtration chromatography, abnormal release of the large mol wt stored ANP could not account for the secretory response to phorbol ester. Additionally, a phorbol ester analog, 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, which is incapable of binding to and activating protein kinase C, was inactive as an ANP secretagogue. In contrast, drugs known to increase the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ in myocytes, Bay K8644 (3 and 6 microns) and forskolin (0.14 microM), significantly inhibited the stretch-stimulated ANP release. This study shows that phorbol ester enhances atrial stretch-stimulated ANP secretion from the isolated perfused heart, suggesting that protein kinase C activity is positively coupled to the stretch-induced ANP release. The results further demonstrate the negative effect of increase in intracellular Ca2+ on stretch-induced ANP release.