Roles of atrial natriuretic peptide and its therapeutic use.

Since the discovery of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), there has been tremendous progress in our understanding of the physiologic and pathophysiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic roles of ANP. The diagnostic application of ANP and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been reviewed by many investigators, and meta-analyses of therapeutic use of BNP were reported from the USA. However, there are few reviews concerning the therapeutic use of ANP in patients with various conditions. Therefore, this review focuses on the recent clinical evidence of ANP in therapeutic use and experimental data that rationally support the therapeutic use of ANP.