Stimulation of atrial natriuretic peptide release by neurokinins in neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes

The effect of substance P (SP) on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) release was studied in neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Incubation of cells with SP led to a marked increase in ANP secretion, a response accompanied by increases in alpha-type protein kinase C (PKC) in the membranous cell fraction and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) formation and a small increase in adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) production. A role for PKC in SP-induced 6-keto-PGF1 alpha formation and ANP release was apparent insofar as the responses were suppressed by PKC inhibitors and in PKC-downregulated cells. Furthermore, SP-induced 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production was strongly correlated with SP-induced ANP secretion (r = 0.91, P < 0.0001, n = 27), suggesting a role for prostaglandins in SP-mediated ANP release. Supporting this, indomethacin abolished SP-induced ANP release, whereas PGE2, PGF2 alpha, and prostacyclin (PGI2) promoted ANP secretion in this system. Both the profile of SP-induced cAMP production and results obtained with prostaglandin antagonists suggest that a prostanoid FP receptor is at the basis of this response. Finally, both neurokinins A and B induced similar ANP responses, whereas cultured cells were found to contain mRNA transcripts coding for both neurokinin NK1 and NK3 receptor subtypes. Overall, these results suggest that SP induces ANP secretion in neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes through a PKC- and prostaglandin-dependent signaling pathway.