Platelet aggregation and atrial natriuretic peptide

1. Isolated human platelets were used to investigate the effect of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on in vitro platelet aggregation induced by epinephrine, ADP, collagen and 5-hydroxytryptamine. As a direct stimulant of particulate guanylate cyclase, ANP is known to have no direct effect on platelets which contain soluble guanylate cyclase. 2. In our experiments ANP inhibited epinephrine- and partially ADP-induced aggregation in vitro and this effect was suggested to be the result of an interaction of the peptide with adenylate cyclase in platelets. However, the concentrations required to produce this effect were higher than those expected to be found in the circulation both physiologically and pathologically. 3. We therefore conclude that though the peptide may inhibit-aggregation via adenylate cyclase activation, it is unlikely that ANP may play a direct role in preventing platelets aggregating.