Depression of proximal tubular sodium reabsorption in the dog in response to renal beta adrenergic stimulation by isoproterenol.

Water diuresis was produced in anesthetized hypophysectomized, cortisone-treated dogs by infusion of 2.5% dextrose. Alpha adrenergic blockade of the left kidney produced by infusion of phenoxybenzamine in the left renal artery was associated with a significantly (P < 0.05) greater rate of urine flow (V) and free water excretion (C(H2O)) in the left kidney than in the right despite similar glomerular filtration rates (GFR) (17 +/- 1.3 ml/min, left; 18 +/-0.9 ml/min, right). Sodium excretion (U(Na)V) was similar in the two kidneys (3 and 5 muEq/min). When beta adrenergic stimulation of the left kidney was superimposed on alpha blockade by the addition of isoproterenol to the left renal artery infusate, GFR remained unchanged and similar in the two kidneys, as V and C(H2O) increased significantly (P < 0.01) in the left kidney but not in the right. When isoproterenol was discontinued, V and C(H2O) returned towards control in the left kidney and remained unchanged in the right. The ratios of the left kidney to the right during control, isoproterenol, and postcontrol were 1.22, 1.65, and 1.35, respectively, for V and 1.36, 1.90, and 1.44, respectively, for C(H2O). Sodium excretion remained unchanged and similar in the two kidneys throughout the study. The results indicate that blockade of alpha adrenergic activity inhibits the increased proximal tubular sodium reabsorption which anesthesia induces in the dog. Beta adrenergic stimulation appears to decrease proximal tubular sodium reabsorption but does not prevent virtually complete reabsorption of the increased quantity of delivered sodium by the ascending limb of the loop of Henle and the distal tubule. These changes in sodium reabsorption presumably are not associated with changes in colloid osmotic pressure or hydrostatic pressure in the peritubular capillary inasmuch as cortical and non-cortical plasma flow, filtration fraction, and mean arterial pressure in the left kidney were unchanged. Thus, isoproterenol probably produced its effects through a direct action on the renal tubule, possibly through the mediation of the adenyl cyclase system.