Abstract
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether variations in salt intake would alter the plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic factor and the N-terminal atrial natriuretic factor prohormone peptides proANF 1–98 and proANF 31–67. Two groups of rats were placed on different salt intakes for 1 week. The low salt group of rats was fed a diet providing <0.1 mM NaCl/day and given deionized water to drink. The normal salt group of rats was fed regular rat chow with deionized water to drink, providing them with approximately 2 mM NaCl/day. Plasma atrial natriuretic factor was 204 ± 60 pg/ml (mean ± SE) in normal salt rats and was significantly lower in the low salt group (44 ± 13 pg/ml, P < 0.01). ProANF 1–98 was also significantly higher in the normal salt group (635 ± 47 pg/ml) compared with the low salt group (353 ± 33 pg/ml, P < 0.01). ProANF 31–67 was 123 ± 21 pg/ml in the normal salt group and 59 ± 12 pg/ml in the low salt group (P < 0.05). Plasma renin activity in ng angiotensin 1/ml/hr averaged 1.80 ± 0.15 in the normal salt group of rats and was significantly higher in the low salt group of rats (5.66 ± 1.07, P < 0.05).
These results suggest that atrial natriuretic factor and the atrial natriuretic factor prohormones may play a role in the physiological adjustments to low salt intake.
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