Atrial natriuretic polypeptide during exercise in healthy man

The plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic polypeptide was measured in eight healthy men during two grades of exercise performed in the supine position on a bicycle ergometer. The plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic polypeptide slightly increased during the first exercise test with 20% of the maximal oxygen uptake and it approximately doubled during the second exercise with 40% of the maximal oxygen uptake (from 15.5 ± 5.5 (mean ± SD) pmol/l to 31.8 ± 10.7 pmol/l). The increase in the plasma level of atrial natriuretic polypeptide in the second exercise was significantly greater than that in the first one. The plasma norepinephrine level and plasma renin activity showed significant increases during the second exercise test. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure also increased in response to the graded exercise. The increase in the plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic polypeptide during exercise was significantly correlated with the increase in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and the plasma norepinephrine concentration (r = 0.75, r = 0.71 and r = 0.51, respectively). These results indicate that the plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic polypeptide increases in response to the intensity of a workload, and suggest that exercise is a useful test to evaluate the releasing function of atrial natriuretic polypeptide in the heart.