Six normal human subjects each underwent sequential 80-min infusions of saline and epinephrine (EPI) at 0.55 and 2.75 micrograms X min-1 X m-2 to determine the role of EPI in the control of atrial natriuretic hormone (ANH) in humans. Plasma immunoreactive-ANH (IR-ANH) levels nearly doubled in response to the infusion of EPI at 0.55 microgram X min-1 X m-2 (P less than 0.05) and then plateaued; heart rate accelerated significantly (P less than 0.01) with increasing plasma EPI levels, whereas systolic blood pressure increased only with higher plasma EPI levels (P less than 0.05). To determine whether beta-adrenergic mechanisms mediate the EPI-induced increase in IR-ANH, six additional subjects each received infusions on two separate days of saline for 240 min and the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol followed by propranolol plus EPI at 2.75 micrograms X min-1 X min-2 each for 80 min. Neither saline nor propranolol plus EPI caused a significant increase in plasma IR-ANH. We conclude that EPI increases plasma IR-ANH through beta-adrenergic mechanisms in humans. beta-Adrenergic-mediated increases in plasma IR-ANH levels appear to be unrelated to changes in the heart rate.