Atrial natriuretic factor is a circulating hormone.
The radioimmunoassay of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) has been applied for determination of immunoreactive ANF (IR-ANF) in rat plasma. Immunoreactive ANF has been extracted from rat plasma by immunoaffinity column on Sepharose-4B anti-ANF or by Vycor glass. The mean concentrations of IR-ANF in ether anesthetized rats were found to be 1.61 +/- 0.14 ng/ml in female and 1.25 +/- 0.21 ng/ml in male rats when extracted on Sepharose-4B anti-ANF, and 1.21 +/- 0.10 ng/ml in females and 1.02 +/- 0.11 ng/ml in males when extracted by Vycor glass. A close linear correlation has been observed between the plasma IR-ANF concentrations in aorta and jugular vein. The described results indicate that atrial cardiocytes secrete atrial natriuretic factor into plasma. The heart is, therefore, an endocrine organ.
D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D045283:Natriuretic Agents; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012737:Sex Factors
D001798:Blood Proteins; D045283:Natriuretic Agents