Atriopeptin: Synthesis, Cardiovascular Effects And Mechanisms Of Action

Atriopeptin(AP), a class of polypeptide hormones secreted from atrial cardiocytes, has potent effects on renal, cardiovascular, and hormonal systems concerned with body fluid and blood pressure homeostasis. Accumulating evidence has suggested that it plays an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular performance under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The objective of the present study is to investigate the mechanism of action of AP in the regulation of blood pressure and coronary circulation, and thus supply experimental data for further evaluation of its possible therapeutic values in ischemic heart diseases.The main contents of this paper includes:1. Rat AP III was synthesized manually by stepwise solid-phase method. The intramolecular disulphide bridge was formed with iodine before the product was finally purified to homogeneity by reverse-phase HPLC. Both in vitro and in vivo bioassays were performed to test the biological activity of the synthetic peptide.2. Hemodynamic changes in response to AP III in anaesthetized rats and dogs were studied. And its neural mechanism was further investigated by various means, including autonomic receptor blockade, autonomic denervation, chemical sympathectomy with 6-OHDA, and refractory electrical field stimulating cardiac...