Atrial-natriuretic peptide facts for kids

Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) is a special chemical messenger, also known as a hormone. It is mainly made by your heart when your blood pressure gets too high. ANP helps to lower blood pressure and keep your body's fluid levels balanced.

What is Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)?

ANP stands for Atrial Natriuretic Peptide. It's a powerful hormone that acts like a signal from your heart. When your heart senses that there's too much fluid or pressure in your blood vessels, it releases ANP. This hormone then travels through your bloodstream to different parts of your body.

Where Does ANP Come From?

ANP is mostly made in the upper chambers of your heart, called the atria. Think of your heart as a pump. When it's working hard and the blood pressure inside it increases, the cells in the atria produce and release ANP. It's like a built-in alarm system for your blood pressure.

How Does ANP Work?

ANP has several important jobs to help lower blood pressure:

• Relaxing Blood Vessels: ANP helps your blood vessels relax and widen. This makes it easier for blood to flow through them, which lowers the pressure.
• Kidney Helper: It tells your kidneys to get rid of more salt and water from your body. You do this by making more pee. Getting rid of extra salt and water helps to reduce the total amount of fluid in your blood, which also lowers blood pressure.
• Stopping Renin: ANP also stops another chemical called renin from working. Renin is an enzyme made by your kidneys that usually helps to raise blood pressure. By stopping renin, ANP helps to keep blood pressure from getting too high.

Why is ANP Important?

ANP plays a key role in keeping your body healthy. It helps to:

• Control your blood pressure.
• Balance the amount of salt and water in your body.
• Protect your heart and blood vessels from too much strain.

Doctors sometimes measure ANP levels to check on heart health, especially if they suspect issues with fluid balance or blood pressure.

Images for kids

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  This picture shows tiny storage spots for ANP inside heart muscle cells from a mouse. The left side is from a lower heart chamber, and the right side is from an upper heart chamber (atrium), where ANP is stored.