Mast cells in the pericardial connective tissue contain ANP and may play a role in pericardial endocrine function and the regulation of ANP levels in the pericardial cavity.
Mast cell ANP in pericardium may contribute to local regulation; hypothesis-generating and requires functional confirmation before any clinical consideration.
It is known that various heart disorders are accompanied by an elevated level of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a regulator of cardiovascular homeostasis, in the pericardial fluid. Which cells produce ANP in the pericardial cavity is unclear. Using immunoelectron microscopy, we examined ANP localization in human and rat pericardium. ANP-immunobinding material was found in granules of mast cells (MC) localized in pericardial connective tissue. In rat pericardium, the average MC size is 6.5 × 12.5 μm and the MC density is about 50 cells per 1 mm 2 section area. For the human pericardium, these parameters are 9.1 × 13.6 μm and 10 cells per 1 mm 2 , respectively. The results show that MCs are probably implicated in the pericardial endocrine function and in controlling the ANP level in the pericardial cavity.
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Martynova et al. (2008) studied this question.
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