title: Water immersion increases the concentration of the immunoreactive N-terminal fragment of proatrial natriuretic factor in human plasma.
abstract: Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) N-terminal (ANF 1-98) and C-terminal (ANF 99-126) fragments were determined by radioimmunoassay in human plasma. Mean basal plasma ANF N-terminal concentrations in 9 healthy subjects were 461 +/- 58 fmol/ml, significantly (p less than 0.0001) higher than ANF C-terminal concentrations (4.8 +/- 0.5 fmol/ml). Central volume stimulation by one hour head-out water immersion (WI) induced a significant (p less than 0.01) increase of the C-terminal peptide levels to 11.6 +/- 2.3 fmol/ml, paralleled by a significant (p less than 0.001) increase of the N-terminal fragment levels to 749 +/- 96 fmol/ml. Increases of plasma concentrations of both fragments upon WI correlated significantly (r = 0.71; p less than 0.05). These data suggest cosecretion of the N-terminal fragment with the C-terminal fragment of pro ANF 1-126 following a physiological stimulus of ANF release in man.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine II, Klinikum Grosshadern, Munich, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gerbes
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vollmar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007101:Immersion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011498:Protein Precursors; C055659:atrial natriuretic factor prohormone (1-98); D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor