The actions of dopamine and of sulpiride on regional blood flows in the rat kidney.

1. Blood flow was measured in the renal cortex and medulla of anaesthetized rats by the hydrogen washout method. The effects of dopamine infusion were measured. 2. Low doses of dopamine (20 and 65 n-mole.kg-1.min-1) caused only small increases in renal blood flow, and a higher dose (200 n-mole.kg-1.min-1) caused vasoconstriction. After alpha-blockade with phenoxybenzamine (9 mumole.kg-1), all doses of dopamine caused vasodilatation in the cortex and medulla of the kidney. 3. This dopamine-induced renal vasodilatation was almost abolished by sulpiride (0.7 mumole.kg-1.min-1), but was only slightly attenuated by propranolol (10 mumole.kg-1). 4. Sulpiride did not significantly alter the renal blood flow responses to noradrenaline or isoprenaline, or the blood pressure responses to histamine, acetylcholine, 5HT, noradrenaline and isoprenaline. 5. In normal rats, infusion of sulpiride generally caused a reduction in renal cortical blood flow. This response showed a positive correlation with the initial blood pressure. 6. It is concluded that there are specific dopamine receptors in the renal vasculature of the rat, and that dopamine may play a role in the normal control of renal blood flow.