Effects of prostaglandin E1 on renal hemodynamics.

The glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RPF), renal blood flow (RBF), filtration fraction (FF), and the ratio of mean arterial pressure (MAP) to RBF (MAP/RBF), reflecting renal vascular resistance (RVR) were determined to investigate the effects of intravenously administered prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on renal hemodynamics in humans. PGE1 produced no significant changes in GFR, but did cause significant increases in RPF and RBF and significant decreases in FF and MAP/RBF. The relationships between MAP and GFR, MAP and RBF, and MAP and MAP/RBF were investigated. PGE1 suppressed the increase of MAP/RBF along with the increase of MAP, increased the RBF along with the increase of MAP, and kept the GFR constant, regardless of MAP. Also, the effects of PGE1 on renal pericapillary vessels were simulated. According to this simulation, PGE1 had a vasodilator action on both preglomerular and postglomerular capillaries.