Atrial natriuretic peptide levels during development of chronic heart failure after myocardial infarction in rats

Serum levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) are elevated in chronic heart failure presumably due to dilatation of the left atrium resulting from increases in intracardiac pressures. To define the time course of changes in serum ANP levels and to determine the relationship to left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, rats were subjected to coronary artery ligation to produce myocardial infarction and left ventricular failure. Atrial natriuretic peptide levels were measured weekly for four weeks thereafter. In rats with myocardial infarction and elevation of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure there was no change in ANP levels at 7 and 14 days. However, at day 21 and 28, ANP levels were elevated more than 3 fold. There was a correlation between ANP levels and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures. There was no correlation between ANP levels and right atrial pressures or serum sodium concentrations. We conclude that the chronic elevation of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure is required to produce an increase in ANP after myocardial infarction which results in chronic heart failure.