ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION The discovery of the natriuretic peptide family was a breakthrough in modern cardiovascular physiology as it provided a direct link between the heart and the kidneys in the regulation of natriuresis. The atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) has been particularly established to play an important role in the regulation of salt and water balance as well as of blood pressure homeostasis. More recently, a direct contributory role for ANP in the pathophysiology of various cardiovascular disorders became evident and changed the understanding of the physiological relevance of ANP. ANP interferes with complex intracellular signaling networks that are responsible for growth, differentiation, ion flux, or transcriptional activation. In this context the following review will focus on a rather novel aspect: ANP will be presented as an endogenous player in vascular inflammation, and the underlying signalling cascades will be communicated.
