Atrial natriuretic factor and the endocrine control of electrolyte homeostasis

The potent diuretic and natriuretic properties of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) suggest that atrial hormones may participate to the regulation of salt and water excretion under physiological conditions. ANF, via the increase of its intracellular second messenger cGMP, has been recently shown to inhibit the apical sodium channel of the inner medullary collecting tubule (IMCD). In addition, ANF inhibits renin and aldosterone synthesis and antagonizes the antinatriuretic effects of angiotensin II. ANF may also contribute to the excretion of free water by inhibiting both the secretion of vasopressin and its antidiuretic action. ANF appears to play an important physiological role in sodium repleted states, or when the effective plasma volume is increased. On the contrary, when the effective plasma volume is decreased or in sodium depleted states, the natriuretic effect of both endogenous and exogenous ANF is severely blunted. That ANF-resistance may be related to the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis, increased circulating catecholamines, renal sympathetic nerve stimulation, changes in renal hemodynamics or increased degradation of ANF. All these factors could explain the lack of significant natriuretic effect of both endogenous and exogenous ANF in some pathological conditions such as heart failure or liver cirrhosis. ANF may also been concerned in water homeostasis. In addition to the well-known osmoregulatory pathways of water metabolism, we recently found that ANF could be involved in the volume adjustment to acute water intake in normal man.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)