Instantaneous measurement of glomerular filtration rate in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

In perfusion studies on the isolated cellfree perfused rat kidney, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can be controlled if the GFR can be measured instantaneously. This paper reports on a GFR meter which opens this possibility. Vitamin B12 is used as a marker for the GFR. A bubble flow meter determines urine flow rates ranging from 10 up to 200 microliter-min-1. A fiberoptic colorimeter measures vitamin B12 concentrations in the urine up to 400 mg-l-1. The flow meter and the colorimeter are described in detail. The reliability of vitamin B12 as a marker for the GFR is demonstrated and, moreover, the identity of GFR values obtained with the GFR meter and those from B12 spectrophotometry is demonstrated.