Atrial natriuretic peptide
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) (pronounced: AY-tree-uhl nat-ree-uh-RET-ik PEP-tide) is a hormone secreted from the cardiac atria that in humans is encoded by the NPPA gene.
Etymology
The term "Atrial Natriuretic Peptide" is derived from the Latin "atrium" (a chamber in the heart), "natrium" (sodium), and "peptide" (a compound consisting of two or more amino acids linked in a chain).
Function
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide is involved in the homeostatic control of body water, sodium, potassium and fat (adipose) tissue. It is released by muscle cells in the upper chambers (atria) of the heart (atrial myocytes) in response to high blood pressure. ANP acts to reduce the water, sodium and adipose loads on the circulatory system, thereby reducing blood pressure.
Related Terms
- Natriuretic Peptides: A group of hormones that function to control fluid balance in the body.
- NPPA gene: The gene that encodes the Atrial Natriuretic Peptide.
- Blood Pressure: The pressure of the blood in the circulatory system.
- Atria: The two upper cavities of the heart from which blood is passed to the ventricles.
- Myocytes: A type of cell found in muscle tissue.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Atrial natriuretic peptide
- Wikipedia's article - Atrial natriuretic peptide
This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski