Intrarenal renin and autoregulation of renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate.

Autoregulatory responses of renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to reductions in renal artery pressure (RAP) were studied in both kidneys of two-kidney, one-clamp dogs and in dogs treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA; 25 mg/kg) plus high sodium diets with and without renal arterial clamping. In non-DOCA-treated animals, unilateral renal artery constriction resulted in a significant difference (P = 0.004) in renal renin activity (RRA) between the clamped (171 +/- 37 ng AI.mg-1.h-1) and the contralateral (57 +/- 23 mg AI.mg-1.h-1) kidneys with no change in their relative autoregulatory ability. In dogs treated with DOCA/high sodium there were no differences in RRA between the clamped and contralateral kidneys. The dogs treated with DOCA/high sodium were able to autoregulate both RPF and GFR even though their RRA was only 5.4 ng AI.mg-1.h-1. DOCA/high sodium treatment, however, reduced basal RPF (22%) and GFR (23%) below those in non-DOCA-treated animals. Analysis of the autoregulatory ability of individual kidneys showed no relationship to either RRA or renin secretory rates. These results support the conclusion that the renin-angiotensin system is not necessary component in the autoregulation of RPF or GFR.