What is Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)?

Released when the atria stretch; promotes salt and water excretion. Structurally it is Natriuretic peptide (28 aa, ring-structured).

How strong is the evidence for ANP?

PeptideHormone grades ANP at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.

What is the half-life of ANP?

The reported circulating half-life of ANP is ~2–3 min.

Atrial natriuretic peptideANP

Released when the atria stretch; promotes salt and water excretion.

EndogenousEstablished

The heart as an endocrine gland: stretched by volume, it releases a hormone to reduce the volume stretching it.

Identity

Class: Natriuretic peptide (28 aa, ring-structured)
Source: Atrial cardiomyocytes
Receptor: Natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPR-A, a guanylyl cyclase)

Key properties

Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1

Molecular weight

~3,080.5 Da

REF

Half-life (native)

~2–3 min

CLIN

Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.

Mechanism

Atrial stretch from volume overload releases ANP, which binds NPR-A to raise cGMP, promoting sodium and water excretion and vasodilation — reducing the blood volume and pressure that triggered it. It is a direct negative-feedback brake on cardiac load.

Reference notes

ANP signals through a membrane guanylyl-cyclase receptor (cGMP), not a GPCR — a different second-messenger system from most of this catalog.
Its trigger is mechanical: atrial wall stretch.
It opposes the renin-angiotensin system's salt-and-water retention.

Common questions

What is Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)?: Released when the atria stretch; promotes salt and water excretion. Structurally it is Natriuretic peptide (28 aa, ring-structured).
How does ANP work?: Atrial stretch from volume overload releases ANP, which binds NPR-A to raise cGMP, promoting sodium and water excretion and vasodilation — reducing the blood volume and pressure that triggered it. It is a direct negative-feedback brake on cardiac load.
How strong is the evidence for ANP?: PeptideHormone grades ANP at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
What is the half-life of ANP?: The reported circulating half-life of ANP is ~2–3 min.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

1.Atrial Natriuretic Peptide: Structure, Function, and Physiological Effects: A Narrative Review · Current cardiology reviews, 2021 · PMID 33530911
2.Cardiac natriuretic peptides · Nature reviews. Cardiology, 2020 · PMID 32444692

External references

ANP in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.