Inositol phosphate release and metabolism were studied in right atrial appendages obtained from 18 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery and/or mitral valve replacement. [3H]Inositol-labeled human atria contained inositol(1,4. 5)trisphosphate, inositol(1,4)bisphosphate and the 1- (or 3) and 4-isomers of inositol monophosphate. Addition of norepinephrine (100 mumol/l) activated the release of inositol phosphates, as indicated by increased [3H]inositol label in all of these inositol phosphates. However, the phosphorylation product of inositol (1.4.5)trisphosphate, inositol-(1,3,4,5)tetrakisphosphate, and its metabolic products were not detected, either in control or stimulated atria. Similar inositol phosphate profiles were observed in rat right atria. Furthermore, both human and rat atria contained high concentrations of inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate, which were not observed to increase with norepinephrine stimulation. The inositol phosphate responses to norepinephrine in rat and human cardiac tissue appear to be similar, except for the generally lower activity observed in human tissue. Thus, the rat provides a suitable model for the study of cardiac phosphatidylinositol turnover.