Effect of ANP on circulating blood volume

The effects of rat atrial natriuretic peptide (rANP) on blood volume (BV) were determined by the continuous measurement of BV, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and central venous pressure (CVP). Immediately after a single-bolus injection of rANP-(1-28), 1 nmol/100 g body wt, in conscious rats, BV began to decrease. Peak reduction of -0.22 +/- 0.03 ml/100 g body wt was reached 14.5 min after the injection. Thereafter, BV levels returned gradually to -0.08 +/- 0.03 ml/100 g body wt compared with the control value. In volume expansion experiment, the nephrectomized, anesthetized rats were divided into two groups: the control group, with only a saline infusion, and the ANP group, with an infusion of saline with rANP (1 nmol/100 g body wt). In the ANP group, increases in BV were not as great, and recovery was threefold faster than that of the control group. In the ANP group, the recovery time of BV to the starting control levels was 8.5 min, and the time constant of recovery was 3.6 +/- 0.3 min-1. The control group times were 25 min and 11.5 +/- 0.8 min-1, respectively. The effective vascular compliances were approximately 2.8 ml.mmHg-1.kg body wt-1 in both groups, and the capillary filtration coefficient was 0.47 ml.mmHg-1.min-1.kg body wt-1 in the ANP group and 0.33 ml.mmHg-1.min-1.kg body wt-1 in the control group. Thus the whole body capillary filtration coefficient was 1.5-fold higher in the ANP group than in the control group. This suggests that ANP may increase the permeability of capillaries.