Effect of renal perfusion pressure on renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure in rats.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that changes in renal perfusion pressure may be transmitted to the renal interstitium and cause alterations in renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure and sodium excretion. A method that utilizes a chronically implanted polyethylene matrix that allows for direct continuous measurement of renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure, and agrees well with subcapsular measurement in rats, was developed. Renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure, fractional excretion of sodium, and urine flow rate were 3.0 +/- 0.3 mmHg, 0.35 +/- 0.13%, and 19.44 +/- 3.00 microliter/min, respectively, when renal perfusion pressure was 101 +/- 0.8 mmHg. When renal perfusion pressure was increased to 123 +/- 0.9 mmHg renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure, fractional excretion of sodium, and urine flow rate increased significantly to 5.8 +/- 0.6 mmHg, 1.29 +/- 0.29%, and 50.76 +/- 8.83 microliter/min, respectively, in anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. These changes occur despite a well-autoregulated glomerular filtration rate and renal blood flow. In conclusion, increasing renal perfusion pressure caused a significant increase in renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure as measured directly by the implanted polyethylene matrix method and was associated with a significant increase in sodium excretion.