Effect of catecholamines on tubular function in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

Addition of norepinephrine or epinephrine to the isolated rat kidney perfused at constant pressure resulted in an increase in sodium reabsorption and the excretion of a dilute urine with an increase in free water clearance. Vasopressin reversed the fall in urinary osmolarity but not the diminution in sodium excretion. The urinary changes produced by catecholamines were blocked by propranolol but not by phenoxybenzamine, suggesting that they were mediated, at least in part, by beta receptors. Similar though less pronounced changes in sodium excretion and urinary osmolarity were produced by isoproterenol and phenylephrine, while the combination of these drugs induced marked dilution of the urine. The results suggest that circulating catecholamines or adrenergic nerves innervating the kidney directly influence renal tubular function and might, therefore, participate in the regulation of sodium and water excretion by the kidneys.