Neuronal and cardiovascular responses to ANF microinjected into nucleus ambiguus

Effects of microinjection of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) into cardioinhibitory sites in the nucleus ambiguus (NA) or on single vagal cardioinhibitory neurons (VCN) were investigated in urethan-anesthetized rats. Sites containing cardioinhibitory neurons were identified by observing a marked and reproducible bradycardia in response to microiontophoretically applied (20-40 nA) or microinjected (20 nl) 0.1 M L-glutamate. In 35 of the 40 (87.5%) cardioinhibitory sites identified by microinjection of glutamate, ANF (20 nl of 10^-7 M) decreased heart rate (HR; -47.1 ± 2.5 beats/min). No responses were elicited in the other five sites. In animals paralyzed and artificially ventilated, the HR effects of ANF were not significantly different before and after muscle paralysis. Microinjections of 10 nl of 10^-7 M ANF caused excitation of 19 of 21 VCN (90%), which was followed by a decrease in HR (-20.8 ± 2.3 beats/min); no neuronal or cardiovascular responses were elicited by ANF in the remaining two VCN. Bilateral vagotomy or atropine sulfate (1 mg/kg iv) abolished cardiac slowing without affecting neuronal activation, whereas propranolol (2 mg/kg iv) did not affect either response to ANF. These results suggest that ANF is a neuromediator involved in the excitation of cardioinhibitory neurons in the NA.