Brain Natriuretic Peptide Administered to Man: Actions and Metabolism*

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Abstract
To investigate the effects of metabolism of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in man, eight normal subjects received 3-h infusions of synthetic porcine BNP (2 pmol/kg .cntdot. min) in a placebo-controlled study. The MCR and plasma half-life of BNP were 2.69 L/min and 3.1 min, respectively. BNP clearly suppressed PRA to less than 50% of placebo values (P < 0.001). Plasma aldosterone concentrations were also significantly reduced by 30% (P < 0.05). Urinary sodium excretion tended to rise (P = 0.054), and urinary cGMP excretion was clearly enhanced (P < 0.01). Systemic and renal hemodynamics, hematocrit, plasma protein concentrations, plasma ACTH, arginine vasopressin, PRL, and catecholamines were unchanged. Porcine BNP has a similar range of effects and is similarly metabolized in man as human ANP. Further elucidation of the possible role of BNP as a circulating hormone in man awaits measurement of tissue and plasma concentrations of human BNP in health and disease and provision of fuller dose-response data for human as well as porcine BNP.