A study of the effect of stimulated endogenous prostaglandin synthesis on urine flow, osmolar excretion rate, and renin release in hydropenic and saline loaded, anesthetized rats

Captopril treatment in Bartter's syndrome

A 13-year-old girl presented with lassitude, polyuria and hypokalemia. Plasma renin concentration and urinary prostaglandin excretion were elevated, whereas plasma aldosterone concentration, urinary aldosterone excretion and blood pressure were normal. A diagnosis of Bartter's syndrome was made. The result of treatment with oral potassium was unsatisfactory. Treatment with acetylsalicylic acid had some effect, but an allergic reaction rendered withdrawal necessary. Treatment with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril and oral potassium led to clinical and biochemical improvement.

A biphasic response of urinary prostaglandin E2 excretion to water deprivation in conscious diabetes insipidus Brattleboro rats

The effects of water deprivation on the urinary excretion rate of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were examined in conscious Brattleboro rats. In order to study the time course of the changes in the PGE2 excretory rate, urine was collected in 6 periods,

CONTROL

0-1 hour (h.). 1: 3-4.5 h., 8-10 h., III: 12-15 h., IV: 24-28 h. and V: 32-36 h. after removal of water and food. It was found that the PGE2 excretion rate changed in a biphasic pattern. During the first 2 experimental periods it increased. Thereafter it decreased towards the control value. There was an increase in PGE2 excretion with urinary flows down to 3 microliter/(min*100 g b. wt). At further reductions in urinary flow rate, PG excretion decreased towards basal levels.

Role of prostaglandins and leukotrienes in volume regulation by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

PGE2 and LTC4 syntheses in Ehrlich ascites cells were measured by radioimmunoassay. Hypotonic swelling results in stimulation of the leukotriene synthesis and a concomitant reduction in the prostaglandin synthesis. If the cells have access to sufficient arachidonic acid there is a parallel increase in the synthesis of both leukotrienes and prostaglandins following hypotonic exposure. PGE2 significantly inhibits regulatory volume decrease (RVD) following hypotonic swelling in Na-containing medium but not in Na-free media, supporting the hypothesis that the effect of PGE2 is on the Na permeability. PGE2 also had no effect on RVD in Na-free media in the presence of the cation ionophore gramicidin. Since the Cl permeability becomes rate limiting for RVD in the presence of gramicidin, whereas the K permeability is rate limiting in its absence, it is concluded that PGE2 neither affects Cl nor K permeability. Addition of LTD4 accelerates RVD and since the K permeability is rate limiting for RVD this shows that LTD4 stimulates the K permeability. Inhibition of the leukotriene synthesis by nordihydroguaiaretic acid inhibits RVD even when a high K conductance has been ensured by the presence of gramicidin. It is, therefore, proposed that an increase in leukotriene synthesis after hypotonic swelling is involved also in the activation of the Cl transport pathway.

Association of prostaglandin metabolism with urine volume; dissociation from excretion of Na+ and K+ by stress

Stress induced by routine cage cleaning causes retention of Na+ and K+, and increased water and prostaglandin metabolite excretion when measured either against concurrent-controls or against self-control values. This novel stress completely masked the diuretic effects of a long-acting prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor previously observed in a stress-free environment. The results show that prostaglandin synthesis and urine volume regulation are closely associated. They also demonstrate a complete dissociation of urine volume and prostaglandin synthesis regulation from electrolyte regulatory mechanisms in a stressful environment.

Evaluation of the chemical parameters of four systems of radioimmunological assay

An iterative indirect model fitting (IIMF) procedure has been designed to evaluate antibody binding capacities and ligand affinities of fairly simple RIA systems. The information is provided by one or more series of standard equilibrium assays, the mass of tracer ligand, the residual fraction of free ligand which contaminates measured bound fractions, and the chemical purity of the tracer. The procedure uses theoretical models which describe systems with one or two antibodies with identical or different affinities towards the hot and the cold ligands. The tracer may be the purified radioactive ligand or a mixture of the hot and the cold ligands with the cold species as the major component. The theoretical models corresponding to two antibody systems are simplified and only strictly valid within limited ranges of ligand concentrations. The chemical parameters of both antibodies may in suitable cases be estimated by two runs of assays with different doses of antiserum and tracer. The IIMF procedure involves the computation of the regression line of a dose function for which the dependent variable is the model derived bound fraction over the measured bound fraction multiplied by the dose. Two tallies are combined of which the statistics of means of replicates being on the regression line has a higher priority than the minimal deviation of the slope of the regression line from 1. The procedure is applied to three RIA systems using carbon adsorption of the free ligand: prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) and angiotensin 1 (Ang. 1), and to one using antibody precipitation-arginine vasopressin (AVP). The consistency of the results was tested by repeated runs of standards or by varying the concentrations of the reactants and the temperature.

Glycerolipid formation and PGE2 and PGF2 alpha production of rat renal papillae in vitro, the effects of urea

The glycerolipid production by rat renal papillary slices varied inversely with the urea concentration (0-1660 mM) whether the production was measured as labelling of the glycerol backbone from glucose or as incorporation of labelled arachidonic acid and palmitic acid. The rate of phospholipid formation was most dependent on medium urea concentrations in the range between 0 and 1100 mM. The production of prostaglandins PGE2 and PGF2 alpha, measured radioimmunologically or by an isotope derivative method was in the same range inversely related to the production of glycerolipids and chain elongations. The effect of urea on prostaglandin formation is probably indirectly caused by the inhibition of the phospholipid formation and chain elongation, since the effect was abolished by 1% defatted albumin in the medium. The data suggest that the level of free arachidonic acid within the cells is controlled to an important extent by glycerolipid formation and chain elongation.

Renal venous and urinary PGE2 output during intrarenal arachidonic acid infusion in dogs

Inferences about total renal (venous and urinary) PGE2 output from determinations of urinary excretion rates (U PGE2 V) cannot be made unless the distribution of PGE2 between renal venous plasma and urine is known. Therefore, in the present study on intact kidneys of anesthetized dogs both urinary excretion of PGE2 and the renal venous output (the product of plasma flow and venous concentration of PGE2) was determined during low and high rates of renal PGE2 synthesis. PGE2 was measured in urine and arterial and renal venous plasma by radioimmunoassay during the following conditions: (1) Hydropenia. In the control condition U PGE2 V averaged 0.041 +/- 0.012 pmol/g . min and varied between 4 and 70% of the total PGE2 output. With infusion of arachidonic acid (AA, 160 micrograms/kg . min) into the renal artery total PGE2 output increased from 0.18 +/- 0.03 to 3.23 +/- 0.51 pmol/g . min, whereas arterial concentrations of PGE2 were unchanged. The urinary fraction still varied between 6 and 46% of total renal PGE2 output. (2) High urine flows caused by mannitol, saline or saline and ethacrynic acid (ECA) infusion. These procedures did not stimulate total renal PGE2 output and the urinary fraction varied between 4 and 49%. ECA combined with saline infusion increased the urinary fraction significantly to 34.7 +/- 4.0%. AA increased the total PGE2 output as during hydropenia, but the urinary fraction fell to 13% in 13 dogs and was unchanged at about 8% in six dogs. On average the urinary fraction of total PGE2 output was significantly lower than in hydropenia. Thus, the urinary fraction of total renal PGE2 output is not constant, and urinary excretion of PGE2 does not give reliable information about renal synthetic rates of prostaglandins.

Prostaglandin type E activity dominates in urinary tract smooth muscle in vitro

Changes in isometric tension and spontaneous contractions in human and porcine lower urinary tract smooth muscle strips caused by PGE2, PGF2a and the prostaglandin biosynthesis inhibitor ketoprofen were investigated in vitro. Ketoprofen reduced the prostaglandin biosynthesis significantly and caused reversible and dose dependent decreases of tension and spontaneous contractions in detrusor strips, while tension increase was induced in strips from the urethra, bladder neck and trigone. PGE2 reestablished the tension and the spontaneous activity in the detrusor strips and counteracted the tension increase in strips from the urethra, bladder neck and trigone. PGF2a increased the tension in all strips. The threshold concentration for prostaglandin effect in strips pretreated with ketoprofen was 10(-10) - 10(-9) mol./l., a concentration which might be considered physiologically relevant. Prostaglandin synthesis inhibition thus caused responses opposite to those of PGE2 in every single strip. These results strongly suggest the PGE-type of activity to be more important than the PGF-type of activity in lower urinary tract smooth muscle in vitro.

Preeclampsia -- a state of prostaglandin deficiency? Urinary prostaglandin excretion, the renin-aldosterone system, and circulating catecholamines in preeclampsia

Urinary excretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), plasma concentrations of renin, aldosterone, norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) were determined during pregnancy, 5 days, 3, and 6 months after delivery in preeclampsia, normotensive pregnant, and nonpregnant control subjects. The PGE2 was higher in normotensive pregnant control subjects than in nonpregnant subjects. In preeclampsia, PGE2 was reduced to nonpregnant level. PGF2 alpha was the same in preeclampsia and in normotensive pregnancy, but elevated when compared to the normotensive nonpregnant control group. Plasma concentrations of renin and aldosterone were increased during pregnancy, but considerably less in preeclampsia than during normotensive pregnancy. NE and E were the same as in nonpregnant subjects during both hypertensive and normotensive pregnancy. All parameters were normal 3 months after delivery. There were no correlations between PGE2, PGF2 alpha, plasma concentrations of renin, aldosterone, NE, or E and blood pressure level in third trimester either in preeclampsia or in normotensive pregnancy. PGE2 was positively correlated to plasma concentrations of renin. It is suggested that the lack of renal PGE2 in preeclampsia might be responsible for the decrease in renal blood flow and sodium excretion. It is hypothesized that preeclampsia is a state of prostaglandin deficiency. The changes in the renin-aldosterone system may be secondary to changes in prostaglandin concentration both in preeclampsia and normotensive pregnancy.

The relationship between urinary prostaglandin excretion rates and urine flow in conscious rats. Evaluation of the radioimmunoassay by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

In conscious rats prostaglandin E2- and F2 alpha excretion rates increased from about 20 to more than 100 pg/min/g kidney weight as urine flow decreased from about 10 to below 1 microliter/min/g kidney weight following 24 h of water deprivation confirming previous data from surgically prepared rats (Leyssac & Christensen 1981 b). There was no difference in this response between rats on a normal sodium diet and severely sodium depleted rats. Additional supply of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the food did not influence the results. Elevated levels of prostaglandin excretion did not correlate with urine osmolality. The reliability of the radioimmunoassays used was documented by comparison with measurements by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analysis showed that these two methods provide almost identical estimates of urinary PGE2 and PGF2 alpha content. It is concluded that renal prostaglandin production is activated by a negative feedback mechanism as tubular and/or urine flow rate decreases towards subnormal values.

Effects of halothane-nitrous oxide inhalation anesthesia and Inactin on overall renal and tubular function in Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats

Real function, plasma renin concentration (PRC) and prostaglandin (PG) excretion rate was studied in groups of Sprague-Dawley (SPRD) and Wistar (WIST) rats anesthetized with either Halothane-N2O or Inactin. Conscious rats were used as controls. A. In Halothane-N2O anesthesia inulin clearance (CIN) and absolute proximal reabsorption rate (APR) was moderately decreased (by about 20%), while renal plasma flow (RPF), urine flow and solute excretion remained unchanged as compared to conscious rats. There was a linear relationship between the reciprocal of the proximal occlusion time (OT) and CIN in Halothane anesthesia indicating that the proximal luminal diameter was constant and independent of CIN. B. Inactin anesthesia CIN was similarly reduced but APR was more depressed (by about 35%). RPF and solute excretion rate decreased only in SPRD rats, while urine flow was significantly reduced in both strains. 1/OT was invariant to changes in CIN indicating luminal diameter variations in proportion to CIN. Urinary PGE2-and PGF2 alpha excretion rates and PRC were moderately elevated in operated animals of both strains regardless of the anesthetics used. It is concluded that renal functional parameters in surgically prepared rats are more severely depressed by Inactin than by Halothane-N2O anesthesia. The gas anesthesia is equally well tolerated by both strains of rats.

Effect of acetylsalicylic acid on renal function in systemic lupus erythematosus

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR; 51Cr-EDTA clearance), serum creatinine concentration and urinary excretion of prostaglandins were measured in 8 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) before and after 2 weeks of treatment with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). ASA 65 mg/kg or up to 4 g/daily was given as a sustained release preparation. The serum salicylate concentration ranged from 0.3 to 1.6 mmol/l. Serum creatinine after 1 and 2 weeks and GFR after 2 weeks of ASA treatment showed no significant changes. There was a clearcut decrease in urinary excretion of prostaglandins PGE2 and PGF2 alpha, by 44% and 50%, respectively. It is concluded that therapeutic doses of ASA do not cause deterioration of GFR in patients with SLE and normal or moderately reduced renal function.

Prostaglandins, catecholamines, renin and aldosterone during hypertensive and normotensive pregnancy

Urinary excretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), plasma concentrations of renin (PRC), aldosterone (PAC), noradrenaline (PNA) and adrenaline (PA) were determined in the third trimester of pregnancy, 5 days and 3 months after delivery in preeclampsia and normotensive pregnant and non-pregnant control subjects. PGE2 was higher in pregnant control subjects than in non-pregnant subjects, but reduced to non-pregnant level in preeclampsia. PGF2 alpha was the same in preeclampsia and normotensive pregnancy but higher than in the non-pregnant group. PRC and PAC were increased during pregnancy, but considerably lesser in preeclampsia than during normotensive pregnancy. PNA and PA were the same in all three groups. All parameters were normal 3 months after delivery. There were no correlations between any of the hormones and blood pressure in any of the groups. PGE2 was positively correlated to PRC. The lack of renal PGE2 in preeclampsia might be responsible for the decrease in renal blood flow and sodium excretion, and the changes in PRC and PAC are supposed to be secondary to changes in PGE2. It is hypothesised that preeclampsia is a state of prostaglandin deficiency.

On the relationship between urinary PGE2 and PGF2 alpha excretion rates and urine flow, osmolar excretion rate and urinary osmolality in anesthetized rats

A strong inverse relationship was found between the excretion rates of the prostaglandins PGE2 and PGF2 alpha and urine flow (and osmolar excretion rate) over a range of urine flow rates from 1.5 to 40 microliters . min-1 . g kidney weight-1, covering spontaneous variations and isotonic saline diuresis. These results suggest the operation of a negative feedback mechanism by which the diuretic action of the prostaglandins, as part of a defence system, counteracts excessive oliguria. PGE2 excretion did not correlate with either urinary kallikrein excretion or plasma renin concentration. When the concentrating mechanism was interfered with by reducing renal perfusion pressure to, or below 65 mmHg, and vasopressin was given i.v. PGE2 excretion rate roughly parallelled urine--and probably medullary interstitial osmolar activity. However, in hydropenic rats there was no correlation between urine osmolality (Uosm) and PGE2 excretion over a range of osmolalities from 500 to 2 500 mOsm . kg-1, nor any relationship between delta Uosm and delta PGE2 excretion. Thus, a high interstitial osmolar activity appears to be a prerequisite for the activation of PG-synthesis in the renal medulla, but another (other) yet undefined factor(s) play the major role as (a) determinant(s) for PG-excretion in vivo.

Interaction between prostaglandins of the E-type with a urinary component from halothane anesthetized rats

Prostaglandins of the E-type (PGE's) were found to react or combine with a urinary metabolite of Halothane yielding products which were left unrecovered during the purification procedure preceding specific radioimmunoassay of PGE2. The products were retained on sephadex LH-20 columns, and showed on thin layer silica gel plates (TLC) Rf values lower than those of the parent PGE-compounds. The product formation is supposed to involve the beta-hydroxyketone system of PGE, since PG's of the F and A type were unaffected. The product formation could be avoided by inducing anaesthesia with Hexobarbitone and maintaining the anaesthesia with Halothane-nitrous oxide or it could be reversed by adding barbiturates to urine samples obtained from animals anaesthetized with Halothane-nitrous oxide alone. The barbiturates effectively competed with PGE for the metabolite leaving PGE to behave normally on sephadex LH-20 and TLC, thus enabling us to evaluate correctly the PGE2 content by RIA.