Real Time Microelectrode Measurement of Nitric Oxide in Kidney Tubular Fluid in vivo

Modulation of single-nephron GFR in thedb/dbmouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. II. Effects of renal mass reduction

This study examines for the first time the effects of uninephrectomy (Nx) on modulation of whole kidney glomerular filtration rate (GFR), single-nephron GFR (SNGFR), and progression of diabetic nephropathy in the db/db mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. To characterize SNGFR and tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) responses to Nx and chronic neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibition in the db/db mouse, we studied the effects of Nx on whole kidney GFR, SNGFR, and TGF characteristics in db/db and wild-type (WT) mice after Nx or sham Nx. We also documented progression of glomerular changes over a 6-mo period. Whole kidney GFR and SNGFR were significantly higher in db/db Nx than db/db sham mice, without change in proximal tubule reabsorptive rates. The TGF responses, determined as proximal-distal SNGFR differences, were brisk: 12.1 ± 1.0 vs. 8.4 ± 0.6 nl/min in WT sham ( P < 0.05), 15.7 ± 1.0 vs. 12.0 ± 1.0 nl/min in WT Nx ( P < 0.05), and 17.8 ± 1.3 vs. 14.3 ± 1.0 nl/min in db/db Nx ( P < 0.05) mice. Chronic ingestion of the neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor S-methylthiocitrulline for 2–3 wk after Nx had no effect on SNGFR or the TGF response. These studies show further elevations in whole kidney GFR and SNGFR in these hyperglycemic morbidly obese db/db mice, with an intact TGF system after Nx. In addition, in the db/db Nx mice, 4–6 mo after Nx, there was an exacerbation of the lesions of diabetic nephropathy, as quantified by a significant increase in the ratio of mesangial surface area to total glomerular surface area.

Nitric oxide selective electrodes

Since nitric oxide (NO) was identified as the endothelial-derived relaxing factor in the late 1980s, many approaches have attempted to provide an adequate means for measuring physiological levels of NO. Although several techniques have been successful in achieving this aim, the electrochemical method has proved the only technique that can reliably measure physiological levels of NO in vitro, in vivo, and in real time. We describe here the development of electrochemical sensors for NO, including the fabrication of sensors, the detection principle, calibration, detection limits, selectivity, and response time. Furthermore, we look at the many experimental applications where NO selective electrodes have been successfully used.

Hyperfiltration, nitric oxide, and diabetic nephropathy

Early diabetes is often accompanied by an increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This hyperfiltration, which is significantly dependent upon increased nitric oxide activity, is believed to contribute to progression of diabetic nephropathy. In this article, a technique for the measurement of tubular fluid nitric oxide in vivo, in real time, is reviewed, and findings in three commonly used rodent models of diabetes are described. The mechanisms of altered tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) in diabetes are also reviewed, with emphasis on hyperfiltration and the role of nitric oxide. New findings on the modulation of hyperfiltration in the classic type 2 diabetes db/db mouse are presented, showing suppression of the TGF mechanism and modulation of single-nephron GFR by a specific nitric oxide synthase inhibitor.

Real-time measurement of kidney tubule fluid nitric oxide concentrations in early diabetes: Disparate changes in different rodent models

There are several reports indicating that nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in the kidney hyperfiltration seen in the early stages of diabetes mellitus (DM). Whole kidney GFR and single nephron GFR (SNGFR) have been reported to decrease after nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition. To date, no direct, in vivo, quantitative NO measurements have been made within the kidney in any models of early diabetes. To assess the possible association of changes in tubular fluid nitric oxide concentrations (TF [NO]) with early diabetes, a specially modified NO electrode with a tip diameter of about 7 microm was used to measure NO in single tubules in seven rodent groups. In the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model, TF [NO] increased by 50% after streptozotocin (STZ) induced DM1. In the B6129G2/J mouse, control TF [NO] was more than twice the rat control value and fell by 50% after STZ treatment. In three other groups of mice-db/db (B6.Cg-m+/+Lepr(db)/J) Type II diabetic (DM2) mouse, db/m (its heterozygote), and the corresponding wild type (WT)-TF [NO] was also much higher than in the rat, and unlike the B6129G2/J STZ diabetic mouse, did not change after the onset of diabetes. Blood glucose concentrations were similar in the three diabetic groups. Accordingly, in different rodent models of diabetes, in vivo TF [NO], measured in real time, varies significantly in control animals and directionally in different models of DM1 and DM2.