Interrelationship between cortisol and atrial natriuretic factor in the immature ovine fetus

1. In chronically cannulated ovine fetuses (100-130 days of gestation) the infusion of cortisol (86.7 +/- 15 micrograms/h for 4 h) or human atrial natriuretic factor (ANF; 4.4 micrograms for 2 h) resulted in highly significant increases in the excretion of sodium, chloride, potassium and water. 2. Cortisol had no significant effect on fetal plasma ANF concentrations. All values are mean and s.e.m. Plasma immunoreactive ANF was 53 +/- 5 and 67.3 +/- 13 pmol/L in the 4 h saline infused fetuses, and 51.3 +/- 14.3 and 74 +/- 13.3 pmol/L in cortisol-infused fetuses (n = 7). A separate group of fetuses received 2 h infusions of saline or hANF (4.4 micrograms/h), and plasma IR-ANF values were measured (n = 3). The values, at 0, 60, 90 and 120 min were, respectively, 19.7 +/- 3, 17.3 +/- 0.7, 18.7 +/- 3.7 and 20.7 +/- 3.7 pmol/L in the saline infused group, and 25.3 +/- 5.3, 80.7 +/- 32.3, 123.3 +/- 4.3 and 100 +/- 15 pmol/L in the ANF-infused fetuses. 3. Blood cortisol concentrations, in fetuses infused for 4 h with 0.9% NaCl, were 3.1 +/- 0.8 nmol/L (n = 7); in fetuses infused with 0.9% NaCl for 2 h were 3.6 +/- 1 nmol/L (n = 3); in fetuses infused for 4 h with cortisol were 19.9 +/- 1.9 nmol/L (n = 7); and in fetuses infused with hANF for 2 h were 6.0 +/- 3.0 nmol/L (n = 5). 4. There was no effect of fetal hANF infusion on maternal or fetal blood aldosterone concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)