There is evidence to suggest that the human placenta may synthesize atrial natriuretic hormone (ANH). To test this hypothesis we examined specimens of normal term placenta obtained at elective caesarean section for evidence of either storage or synthesis of this peptide. No immunocytochemical or ultrastructural evidence of ANH storage was found. RNA extracted from cultured cytotrophoblast cells, the chorionic or decidual plates, or from placental villi contained no ANH-encoding messenger RNA by Northern blot analysis. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of these RNA extracts using primers directed to the midportion of the ANH gene failed to demonstrate any evidence of ANH-encoding RNA. We conclude that ANH is neither stored nor synthesized within the normal term placenta, and thus a purely endocrine role for this peptide within the fetoplacental compartment is proposed.