Ronald H. Freeman

Intrarenal Role of Angiotensin II: HOMEOSTATIC REGULATION OF RENAL BLOOD FLOW IN THE DOG

The analogue, l-sarcosine-8-alanine-angiotensin II, a specific competitive antagonist of the vascular action of angiotensin II in the rat, blocked the decrease in renal blood flow after a single intrarenal injection of angiotensin II but not after an injection of norepinephrine in normal dogs, in a sodium-depleted dog, and in a dog with thoracic vena caval constriction. Infusion of the analogue at 0.2 μg/kg min−1 into the renal artery consistently increased renal blood flow and decreased renal resistance in both sodium-depleted dogs and dogs with vena caval constriction but did not alter these functions in normal dogs. In five sodium-depleted dogs, renal blood flow increased from an average control value of 196 ± 5 ml/min to 222 ± 11 and 246 ± 12 ml/min after 20 and 40 minutes of antagonist infusion (P < 0.01 and P < 0.005, respectively); renal resistance fell from 0.71 ± 0.03 mm Hg/ml min−1 to 0.62 ± 0.06 and 0.54 ± 0.03 mm Hg/ml min−1 (P < 0.005 for the 40-minute value). In five dogs with vena caval constriction, renal blood flow increased from 143 ± 16 ml/min to 178 ± 23 and 190 ± 19 ml/min after 20 and 40 minutes of analogue infusion (P < 0.02 and P < 0.005, respectively); renal resistance fell from 0.90 ± 0.14 mm Hg/ml min−1 to 0.73 ± 0.14 and 0.64 ± 0.10 mm Hg/ml min−1 (P < 0.01 and P > 0.02, respectively). Mean arterial blood pressure was not altered significantly by the analogue when it was infused at 0.2 μg/kg min−1. Infusion of the analogue at 2.0μ/kg min−1 decreased arterial blood pressure and renal resistance and increased renal blood flow in five sodium-depleted dogs and in three dogs with vena caval constriction. These observations suggest an important intrarenal role for angiotensin II in the homeostatic regulation of renal blood flow in sodium-depleted dogs and in dogs with vena caval constriction.

Renal effects of leptin in normotensive, hypertensive, and obese rats.

The hemodynamic, hormonal, and renal excretory effects of intravenous bolus administration of synthetic murine leptin were examined in groups of anesthetized normotensive (Sprague-Dawley), hypertensive (spontaneously hypertensive), and both lean and obese Zucker rats. In the normotensive animals ( n = 8) an intravenous bolus of 400 μg/kg of leptin produced a significant six- to sevenfold elevation in sodium excretion compared with controls ( n = 8). The onset of natriuresis was delayed for ∼30-45 min. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), creatinine clearance, plasma renin activity (PRA), and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) remained unchanged. In contrast, the hypertensive rats were refractory to the natriuretic effects of leptin when infused either with 400 ( n = 8) or 1,600 ( n = 8) μg/kg. Also in these animals MAP, creatinine clearance, PRA, and PAC were unmodified. Finally, whereas lean Zucker rats ( n = 8) responded very similarly to the Sprague-Dawley animals, the natriuretic effect of the hormone was attenuated in the obese Zucker groups. At 400 μg/kg ( n = 8) no natriuresis was elicited, but at 1,600 μg/kg ( n = 8) a modest but significant two- to threefold increment in sodium excretion was observed in the obese rats. In both Zucker groups, MAP, creatinine clearance, PRA, and PAC were unchanged. Collectively, these results demonstrate a significant natriuretic effect of exogenous leptin in the normal rat and a blunted saluretic response in hypertension and obesity. It is suggested that leptin may be a potential salt-excretory factor in normal rats and may function pathophysiologically in obesity and hypertension.The hemodynamic, hormonal, and renal excretory effects of intravenous bolus administration of synthetic murine leptin were examined in groups of anesthetized normotensive (Sprague-Dawley), hypertensive (spontaneously hypertensive), and both lean and obese Zucker rats. In the normotensive animals (n = 8) an intravenous bolus of 400 microgram/kg of leptin produced a significant six- to sevenfold elevation in sodium excretion compared with controls (n = 8). The onset of natriuresis was delayed for approximately 30-45 min. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), creatinine clearance, plasma renin activity (PRA), and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) remained unchanged. In contrast, the hypertensive rats were refractory to the natriuretic effects of leptin when infused either with 400 (n = 8) or 1,600 (n = 8) microgram/kg. Also in these animals MAP, creatinine clearance, PRA, and PAC were unmodified. Finally, whereas lean Zucker rats (n = 8) responded very similarly to the Sprague-Dawley animals, the natriuretic effect of the hormone was attenuated in the obese Zucker groups. At 400 microgram/kg (n = 8) no natriuresis was elicited, but at 1,600 microgram/kg (n = 8) a modest but significant two- to threefold increment in sodium excretion was observed in the obese rats. In both Zucker groups, MAP, creatinine clearance, PRA, and PAC were unchanged. Collectively, these results demonstrate a significant natriuretic effect of exogenous leptin in the normal rat and a blunted saluretic response in hypertension and obesity. It is suggested that leptin may be a potential salt-excretory factor in normal rats and may function pathophysiologically in obesity and hypertension.

Effects of intrarenal infusion of calcium entry blockers in anesthetized dogs.

Renal function and renin release were studied in anesthetized, uninephrectomized dogs during intrarenal infusions of the calcium influx blockers, verapamil and nifedipine. Verapamil increased renal blood flow by 20% (p less than 0.05) but did not alter glomerular filtration rate. Verapamil produced five-to-seven fold increases in urine flow and the rates of excretion of sodium and chloride (p less than 0.01). Significant increases in the rates of excretion of potassium, calcium and magnesium were also observed. Despite its striking effects on renal function, verapamil, in nonhypotensive doses, failed to alter renin secretion. Intrarenal infusion of nifedipine had no consistent effect on renal blood flow or the rate of glomerular filtration but increased urine flow and the rates of excretion of sodium and chloride by more than three fold (p less than 0.01). Nonhypotensive doses of nifedipine had no significant effect on renin release. In dogs with a denervated nonfiltering kidney, an intrarenal verapamil or nifedipine infusion did not produce a significant change in renin release. This study demonstrates a striking effect of calcium entry blockers on the reabsorption of sodium, chloride, and water by the renal tubules in intact dogs but renin release did not increase unless hypotension occurred.

Autoradiographic demonstration of specific binding sites for E. coli enterotoxin in various epithelia of the North American opossum

SummaryIn the North American opossum, heat-stable specific binding sites for E. coli enterotoxin are observed (i) in epithelial cells lining the small intestine, colon, gall bladder, cystic duct, common bile duct and trachea, and (ii) in epithelial cells forming the duodenal (Brunners) glands, liver, kidneys (metanephros, mesonephros) and testis, as demonstrated by autoradiography. Enterotoxin-specific binding sites in the intestinal tract are only found in intestinal epithelial cells with the highest concentration in the microvillus border. Enterotoxin-specific binding sites also occur in epithelial cells comprising the secretory tubules and ducts of the duodenal glands. In the kidneys (metanephros and mesonephros), enterotoxin-specific binding sites are confirmed primarily to the proximal tubules, whereas in the testis they are localized in seminiferous tubules. In the liver, enterotoxin-specific binding sites are confined primarily to hepatocytes. E. coli enterotoxin caused a 7-fold increase of cGMP in the liver and a 30-fold increase in the duodenal glands. The liver responded in about half of the animals studied, whereas the duodenal glands gave a consistent response in each case. Likewise, the duodenal glands consistently showed strong labelling for 125I-enterotoxin, whereas receptor labelling of hepatocytes was inconsistent in nearly half the incubations and corresponds to the observed cGMP measurements.

Role of renal prostaglandins in the control of renin release

Role of renal prostaglandins in the control of renin release ISSN: 1524-4571 Copyright

Pressure natriuresis in rats during blockade of the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway.

The natriuretic response was studied in anesthetized rats during the intravenous infusion of L-arginine analogues to inhibit the production of endothelium-derived nitric oxide. In an initial experimental series, rats were administered saline vehicle or vehicle containing 300 mumol/kg body wt N omega-monomethyl-L-arginine, N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, N omega-monomethyl-D-arginine, or L-arginine. Infusion of the competitive inhibitors N omega-monomethyl-L-arginine and N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester significantly increased mean arterial pressure to 155 +/- 3 and 145 +/- 5 mm Hg, respectively, compared with a mean arterial pressure of 118 +/- 3 mm Hg determined in the vehicle control group. Sodium excretion averaged 3.27 +/- 1.08 and 2.52 +/- 0.78 mu eq/min in the N omega-monomethyl-L-arginine- and N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-treated rats, respectively, and each was significantly higher than the basal sodium excretion of 0.20 +/- 0.05 mu eq/min in the vehicle-treated control animals. Plasma renin activity was significantly lower in the N omega-monomethyl-L-arginine- and N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-treated groups than in the vehicle-treated group. Neither L-arginine nor N omega-monomethyl-D-arginine administration significantly altered any of the measured variables compared with vehicle alone. In a second experimental series, an adjustable snare was placed around the suprarenal aorta for the purpose of controlling renal perfusion pressure independently of increases in the systemic mean arterial pressure initiated by infusion of N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (75 mumol/kg i.v.).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Brief Reviews: Agents Which Block the Action of the Renin-Angiotensin System

• The role of the renin-angiotensin system in the control of arterial blood pressure and aldosterone secretion has been studied extensively in homeostasis, hypertensive disease, and edematous states. For many years it has been realized that the availability of effective blocking agents for renin or for angiotensin II might help greatly in the study of this system and might have important value in the treatment of conditions such as renal hypertension and heart failure. During the past few years, an increasing number of blocking agents for the reninangiotensin system have been developed. These agents act at one of three sites: (1) they block the action of renin in plasma, (2) they prevent converting enzyme from forming angiotensin II from angiotensin I, or (3) they block the receptor sites for angiotensin II in arteriolar smooth muscle and adrenal cortex. In addition, adrenergic blocking agents such as propranolol decrease the release of renin from the renal juxtaglomerular cells. This review is concerned only with the agents which block the action of the renin-angiotensin system, not with those that decrease the release of renin. The new observations with blocking agents have helped solve several specific problems under investigation, and, in addition, new important functions of the renin-angiotensin system have been uncovered. For example, it is now recognized (1-5) that in low output states angiotensin II acts directly on the peripheral arterioles including the renal vasculature to increase peripheral resistance, decrease renal blood flow, and maintain arterial blood pressure. In this review, the recent findings have been collated to present this new knowledge on the physiology of angiotensin II, to evaluate the present state of our knowledge on such important problems as the pathogenesis of experimental renal hypertension, and to stimulate additional research on the physiology of the renin-angiotensin system.

Effects of indomethacin and meclofenamate on renin release and renal hemodynamic function during chronic sodium depletion in conscious dogs.

We studied the control of renin release and renal hemodynamic function by administering prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors to conscious sodium-depleted dogs with blockade of the adrenergic nervous system induced by bilateral renal denervation and propranolol administration. Indomethacin (10 mg/kg) reduced plasma renin activity (PRA) by 59% from a high sodium-depleted value, but PRA was still 3 times the normal sodium-repleted level. Arterial pressure, Ccr, CPAH, urine flow, and potassium excretion fell strikingly. Similar results were obtained with meclofenamate. When SQ 14,225 was given to another group of conscious, sodium-depleted dogs with adrenergic nervous system blockade, PRA increased from the high sodium-depleted level of 5.7 to 29.3 ng of Angiotensin I (AI)/ml per hour; indomethacin (10 mg/kg) appeared to reduce PRA (0.05 < P < 0.1) but to only 12.1 ng of AI/ ml per hour, which is 17 times the normal level. This high level of PRA after blockade of the adrenergic nervous system and injection of indomethacin suggests that important mechanisms other than norepi-nephrine and renal prostaglandins control renin release; it is proposed that both the renal vascular receptor and the macula densa are involved. The marked decreases in Ccr and CPAH in response to indomethacin emphasize the important role of renal prostaglandins in the control of renal hemodynamic function during sodium depletion. Circ Res 47: 99-107, 1980.

Intrarenal site of action of calcium on renin secretion in dogs.

We studied the effects of intrarenal calcium infusion on renin secretion in sodium-depleted dogs in an attempt to elucidate tbe major site of calcium-induced inhibition of renin release. Both calcium chloride and calcium glaconate reduced renal blood flow and renin secretion while renal perfusion pressure was unchanged. These data indicate that calcium inhibition of renin secretion did not occur primarily at the renal vascular receptor; decreased renal Mood flow is usually associated with increased renin secretion. Calcium chloride infusion increased urinary chloride excretion without affecting sodium excretion, and calcium glnconate failed to increase either sodium or chloride excretion. Also, the filtered loads of sodium and chloride were unchanged during the calcium infusions. These results give no indication that calcium inhibited renin secretion by increasing the sodhun or chloride load at the macula densa. The effects of intrarenal calcium infusion on renin release were also assessed in dogs with a nonflltering kidney in which renal tubular mechanisms could not influence renin secretion. The observation that calcium still suppressed renin release in these dogs provides additional evidence that the major effect of calcium involved nontubular mechanisms. Thus, it appears likely that calcium acted directly on the juxtaglomerular cells to inhibit renin secretion.

Distribution of Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin/guanylin/uroguanylin receptors in the avian intestinal tract

Pathogenic strains of enteric bacteria secrete small heat-stable toxins (STs) that activate membrane guanylyl cyclase receptors found in the intestine. The intestinal peptide agonists, guanylin and uroguanylin, are structurally related to STs. Receptors for 125I-ST were found throughout the entire length of the intestinal tract of all the birds examined. These receptors were restricted to intestinal epithelial cells covering villi and forming intestinal glands and were not observed in other strata of the gut wall. The most intense labeling of receptors by 125I-ST occurred in the region of the microvillus border of individual enterocytes. There appeared to be a decrease in receptor density distally along the length of the small intestine, although labeling of receptors by 125I-ST was observed throughout the small intestine and colon. Cellular cGMP accumulation responses to Escherichia coli ST and rat guanylin in the domestic turkey and duck were greater in the proximal small intestine compared to the distal small intestine or colon. Brush border membranes (BBM) isolated from the mucosa of proximal small intestine of turkeys exhibited agonist-stimulated guanylyl cyclase activity. The rank order potency for enzyme activation was E. coli ST > uroguanylin > guanylin. Competitive radioligand binding assays using 125I-ST and turkey intestine BBM revealed a similar rank order affinity for the receptors that was exemplified by the Kd values of ST 2.5 nM, uroguanylin 80 nM and guanylin 2.6 microM. It may be concluded that functional receptors for the endogenous peptides, guanylin and uroguanylin, occur in the apical membranes of enterocytes throughout the avian intestine. The receptor-guanylyl cyclase(s) of proximal small intestine were preferentially activated by uroguanylin relative to guanylin, but both endogenous peptides were less potent than their molecular mimic, E. coli ST.