[Exchange of plasma albumin (131-I-albumin) between extra- and intra-vascular space of the kidney, the lymphatic flow of macromolecules (polyvinylpyrrolidone) in the kidney under conditions of normal and furosemide-inhibited tubular reabsorption. Studies on the function of the renal interstitial tissue, and the significance of the tubular reabsorbate for the interstitial tissue]

Renal medullary circulation: hormonal control

It is now becoming apparent that the medullary circulation in the kidney can be regulated separately from overall renal blood flow. This characteristic of the medullary circulation plays an important role in the kidney's ability to excrete a dilute or concentrated urine in concert with changes in water and sodium transport in the distal nephron secondary to the action of vasopressin, prostaglandins, the renal nerves, and other hormones without significant other renal hemodynamic changes. There is strong evidence that renal autocoids such as angiotensin II and prostaglandins uniquely affect regional blood flow in the inner medulla because of the special structure and organization of the microvasculature in this region. There is also evidence that this regional blood flow is in part regulated by circulating hormones, such as vasopressin and atrial natriuretic peptide, which are released in response to changes in extracellular fluid volume or osmolality. In addition, data are emerging to suggest that the kallikrein-kinin system, acetylcholine, the renal nerves and adenosine participate in this regulation. In addition to the role of the medullary circulation in the urinary concentrating operation, there are data to suggest that the medullary circulation either directly (by changes in physical forces) or indirectly (by regulating medullary toxicity) may influence sodium excretion in a variety of conditions. In this regard, activation of the renin-angiotensin system locally reduces blood flow in the papilla which may be necessary before sodium retention is fully expressed in salt retaining states. Future research looking at the microvasculature of the medulla and papilla and those factors that control the contractility of these vessels are necessary before a clearer picture emerges. Nevertheless, from the data already available it seems reasonable to suggest that the medullary circulation may be as important to kidney function during physiological and pathophysiological states as is the cortical circulation.

The extravascular pool of albumin in the non-diuretic rat kidney estimated by means of radioactive tracers and quantitative immunochemistry

The extravascular pool of albumin in the non-diuretic rat kidney was determined as the difference between total and intravascular albumin pools. The total pool of albumin was determined in two ways in the same kideny: 1. as the distribution volume of rat endogenous albumin measured immunochemically and 2. as the distribution volume of 125I-labelled rat albumin equilibrated for 4 days. The distribution volume of 131I human albumin after 1 min equilibration was taken as a measure of the intravascular pool. Total albumin pool estimated as rat endogenous albumin volume of distribution averaged 13.4, 25.1, and 43.0 mul per 100 mg tissue in cortex, outer and inner medulla, respectively. Similar figures were obtained using 125I-labelled rat albumin. Intravascular pool of albumin in the 3 zones averaged 7.2, 19.7, and 26.8 mul per 100 mg tissue. The calculated extravascular fraction of albumin averaged 0.44, 0.21, and 0.35 for cortex, outer and inner medulla, respectively.

Models for coupling of salt and water transport; Proximal tubular reabsorption in Necturus kidney

Models for coupling of salt and water transport are developed with two important assumptions appropriate for leaky epithelia. (a) The tight junction is permeable to both sale and water. (b) Active Na transport into the lateral speces is assumed to occur uniformly along the length of the channel. The proposed models deal specifically with the intraepithelial mechanism of proximal tubular resbsorption in the Necturus kidney although they have implications for epithelial transport in the gallbladder and small intestine as well. The first model (continuous version) is similar to the standing gradient model devised by Diamond and Bossert but used different boundary conditions. In contrast to Diamond and Bossert's model, the predicted concentration profiles are relatively flat with no sizable gradients along the interspace. The second model (compartment version) expands Curran's model of epithelial salt and water transport by including additional compartments and considering both electrical and chemical driving forces for individual Na and Cl ions as well as hydraulic and osmotic driving forces for water. In both models, ion and water fluxes are investigated as a function of the transport parameters. The behavior of the models is consistent with previously suggested mechanisms for the control of net transport, particularly during saline diuresis. Under all conditions the predicted ratio of net solute to solvent flux, or emergent concentration, deviates from exact isotonicity (except when the basement membrane has an appreciable salt reflection coefficient). However, the degree of hypertonicity may be small enough to be experimentally indistinguishable from isotonic transport.

The intrarenal distribution of 125I-albumin in the Syrian hamster

The intrarenal distribution of radioiodinated human serum albumin (125RISA) after intravenous injection was studied in Syrian hamsters by scintillation counting and frozen section autoradiography. After 15, 30 and 60 min the virtual plasma albumin space in the renal cortex of the hamster represented 6.49, 7.13, and 8.06 percent respectively of the kidney tissue volume. From the cortex to the renal papilla the albumin space increased to about 30 percent of the tissue volume. In comparison to this the albumin space in the renal cortex of the rat was about 20% and in the renal papilla about 33% (11). Frozen section autoradiography indicated that the distribution of radioalbumin in the renal cortex of the Syrian hamster is limited mainly to the kidney vessels, being especially noticeable in the glomerular capillaries. Toward the papilla increasingly greater (mainly extratubular) activity could be observed not only intravascularly but also interstitially. In the cortex of the rat kidney, on the other hand, radioactive albumin was accumulated (probably by filtration and reabsorption) predominantly in the proximal tubular epithelium. Wtithin 30 min thekidneys of the rat excreted mor than 10 times as much 125I than the hamster kidneys. These results (substantially less cortical accumulation and urinary excretion of radioalbumin in the Syrian hamster) indicate that, in contrast to the rat, obviously much less albumin is filtered (and then accumulated by proximal reabsorption) by the Syrian hamster glomeruli. This suggests that the Syrian hamster kidney is more suitable than the rat kidney for determining the interstitial, cortical, albumin space.

Pressure control of sodium reabsorption and intercellular backflux across proximal kidney tubule

The magnitude of changes in luminal hydrostatic pressure (DeltaP(L)), peritubular capillary hydrostatic pressure (DeltaP(PT)), and peritubular capillary colloid osmotic pressure (Deltapi) was determined in the Necturus kidney during volume expansion (VE). The specific effects of separate changes of each pressure parameter on proximal net sodium transport (J(Na)) were studied in isolated perfused kidneys. The combined effect of DeltaP(L), DeltaP(PT), and Deltapi, of a magnitude similar to that induced by volume expansion, decreases J(Na) by 26% in the perfused kidney. A major portion of the natriuresis in VE is due to changes in intrarenal pressures. The effect of Deltapi on the permeability characteristics of Necturus proximal tubule was studied. With increasing Deltapi, the ionic conductance of the paracellular shunt pathway decreased, since transepithelial input and specific resistance rose significantly, whereas cellular membrane resistance remained unchanged. Transepithelial permeability coefficients for sodium chloride and raffinose changed inversely proportional to transepithelial resistance, indicating an alteration of a paracellular permeation route. Net passive sodium backflux and active transport flux components were calculated. Increased net sodium transport with rising Deltapi is accompanied by a significant drop in passive back diffusion, without an increment in the active flux component. Change in passive sodium ion back diffusion thus appears to be a key physiological factor in the control of transepithelial sodium transport.