Sodium orthovanadate diuresis in rats

The renal actions of differing doses of sodium orthovanadate were studied in conscious and anesthetized female Wistar rats. In conscious rats, sodium orthovanadate was given by i.v. or i.p. injections or by mouth. The most pronounced renal effects were seen after a 5 mg/kg i.p. injection of sodium orthovanadate. Urine flow and sodium excretion increased approximately 400% and urine osmolality fell from 1108 to 549 mOsmol/kg . H2O. Higher doses of sodium orthovanadate (20, 30 and 50 mg/kg) injected i.p. did not cause diuresis and were toxic. In anesthetized rats undergoing a 0.9% NaCl diuresis, i.v. infusion of sodium orthovanadate at a dose of 5 mg/kg/hr significantly increased urine flow and the excretion of sodium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium and chlorine, whereas glomerular filtration rate was unaltered. In anesthetized rats undergoing a water diuresis, i.v. infusion of sodium orthovanadate (5 mg/kg/hr) markedly reduced free-water clearance, indicating that this compound inhibits tubular reabsorption of sodium and chloride in diluting nephron segments. Blood and renal tissue levels of vanadium, measured using emission spectrographic analysis, in rats infused with sodium orthovanadate were 4 times higher than the concentration of sodium orthovanadate (1--10 microM) needed to inhibit 50% of the Na-K-adenosine triphosphate activity of rat renal homogenates in vitro. These data suggest that sodium orthovanadate produces diuresis at least in part by inhibiting Na-K-adenosine triphosphatase and solute transport in the distal nephron, likely the ascending limb of the loop of Henle.

Prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha reduces urea reabsorption from the rat collecting duct

The present study examines the possibility that prostaglandins affect the renal tubular handling of urea. Meclofenamate (1 mg.kg-1.h-1), an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, decreased fractional urea clearance from 86 to 67%, increased urine osmolality, and decreased the fractional excretion of water in rats undergoing a hypertonic sodium chloride diuresis. The percentage of [14C]urea microinjected into distal convoluted tubules that was recovered in urine fell from 75 to 64% (P less than 0.01) after meclofenamate. The fraction of injected urea excreted like inulin (direct recovery) was reduced from 20 to 8% (P less than 0.0001) by meclofenamate. Addition of PGE2 (1.2 or 89 pmol) or PGF2 alpha (1.4 pmol) to the microinjectate returned the urinary recovery of the microinjected [14C]urea to the control level, but PGA2 (3 pmol) did not. Direct urea recovery was doubled by PGE2 or PGF2 alpha. These results indicate that prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha inhibit the reabsorption of urea in the collecting duct. Prostaglandins may participate in the renal concentrating mechanism by altering the inner medullary influx of urea.

Meclofenamate and urine concentration with and without exposure of the renal papilla

The recent finding that inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis prevent the fall in urine concentration produced by papillary exposure challenges the hypothesis that contact between the pelvic urine and papilla is essential to the renal concentrating process. The present study examines the change in urine osmolality produced by exposure of the renal papilla in rats given meclofenamate. In control animals urine osmolality(Uosmol) decreased 57% after 2 h of exposure of the renal papilla. In rats given meclofenamate 4 mg/kg urine osmolality increased 16%, urine flow decreased 30%, and glomerular filtration rate was unchanged in the nonexposed kidney. Meclofenamate, however, did not alter the decrease in Uosmol seen in the kidney with the exposed papilla. Meclofenamate 10 mg/kg was also ineffective in preventing the fall in urine osmolality produced by papillary exposure, although this higher dose decreased glomerular filtration rate and arterial blood pressure. These results are consistent with the finding that pelvic urine urea is important to the urinary concentrating process and with the hypothesis that urine osmolality falls after papillary exposure because contact between pelvic urine and papilla is interrupted.

Effect of urea concentration of pelvic fluid on renal concentrating ability

The role of the pelvic urine in the renal concentration process was examined in anesthetized antidiuretic rats. The left ureter was cannulated with perfusion and collection catheters so that the composition of the fluid bathing the papilla could be altered by superperfusing solution of known composition without opening the renal pelvis, exposing the papilla, or altering intrapelvic pressure. The effect on urinary osmotic pressure (Uosmol) of papillary superperfusion with solutions of varying urea concentrations and total osmolality was examined. Papillary superperfusion with solutions containing no urea or less urea than preperfusion pelvic urine caused marked reductions in Uosmol regardless of the osmotic pressure of the solution. Superperfusion solutions with urea concentrations similar to that of preperfusion pelvic urine but lower in osmotic pressure than preperfusion urine produced no change in Uosmol. Superperfusion solutions with urea concentrations higher than that of preperfusion urine and with osmotic pressure equal to that of the preperfusion urine increased Uosmol. Finally, superperfusion of the papilla with urea solutions of greater than 2,370 mosmol/kg H2O and hypertonic to preperfusion urine decreased Uosmol. We conclude that the urea concentration of the pelvic urine plays an essential role in the urinary concentration mechanism.

Renal tubular site of action of fluoride in Fischer 344 rats

Methoxyflurane is capable of producing high-output renal failure in some patients and animal models, probably through metabolic liberation of free fluoride. The tubular site of action of fluoride was examined in Fischer 344 rats using clearance techniques. Free water reabsorption (TCH2O) and free water excretion (CH2O) were measured during mannitol or water diuresis in control rats and in rats given methoxyflurane or pretreated with sodium fluoride. Pretreatment produced statistically significant increases in urinary flow (from 10.5 +/- 1.4 to 20.1 +/- 1.9 mul/min/100 g b. wt.), in glomerular filtration rate (from 814 +/- 31 to 1,039 +/- 53 mul/min/100 g b. wt.), in per cent sodium excretion (from 0.107 +/- 0.008 to 0.155 +/- 0.015 per cent), and in per cent water excretion (from 1.27 +/- 0.15 to 2.00 +/- 0.20 per cent). Free water excretion remained relatively unaltered in rats pretreated with fluoride, perhaps due to elevated glomerular filtration rate and/or reduced proximal tubular reabsorption combined with inhibition of reabsorption in the ascending loop. Percentage free water reabsorption, on the other hand, was markedly reduced by the pretreatment, from 2.66 +/- 0.21 to 0.66 +/- 0.09 per cent. The observations are consistent with the hypothesis that fluoride inhibits tubular reabsorption primarily in the medullary portion of the ascending limb of Henle's loop, perhaps by inhibition of an active chloride pump located in this nephron segment.

Renal tubular transport of 3H-digoxin in saline diuresis in rats

We evaluated urinary excretion and tubular transport of 3H-digoxin by three different methods in anesthetized rats made diuretic by infusion of 2.5% saline. In one group small volumes of 3H-digoxin and 14C-inulin were injected simultaneously into surface proximal convolutions, and urine was collected serially from both ureters. Digoxin recovery was lower after early (62.1 +/- 5.3%) than after late (86.9 +/- 7.7%) proximal administration but inulin recovery was complete (99.6 +/- 2.7%) after all injections. Most of the digoxin was excreted simultaneously with inulin. Delayed recovery was low. In another group of rats digoxin and inulin were applied directly to the capsule of the left kidney. Two-thirds of the recovered digoxin appeared from the left ureter and one-third from the right. The difference (41.9 +/- 7.4%) is an estimate of transtubular digoxin influx. Digoxin excretion preceded inulin only on the left. Digoxin to inulin concentration ratios were 6 times higher from the left than the right, whereas inulin recoveries from the two sides were similar. In a third group of rats tubular fluid was collected from surface convolutions of proximal and distal tubule. In the accessible segment of the proximal tubule 35.9% of the filtered digoxin was reabsorbed. In the more distal nephron, drug was added into the lumen; this resulted in a net urinary excretion of 80.2 +/- 18.2%. These findings are compatible with free filtration of digoxin at the glomerulus followed by passive proximal tubular reabsorption and an influx against a concentration gradient in the distal nephron.