Summary
Plasma renin activity was estimated in normal and in renal hypertensive rats, in the unanesthetized state, in ether or in urethane anesthesia. Renal hypertension was induced by partially constricting one renal artery without touching the opposite kidney. In the unanesthetized state plasma renin activity in renal hypertensive rats was slightly, though very variably, increased (∼45 percent). Ether anesthesia had no influence on plasma renin activity in either normotensive or hypertensive rats. Urethane anesthesia lowered blood pressure in normotensive controls by 20 mm Hg, and caused a more than threefold increase in plasma renin activity. In renal hypertensive rats urethane depressed blood pressure by 40 mm Hg and induced a more than sixfold increase of plasma renin activity.
The results suggest that the plasma renin activity in rats with renal hypertension induced by partially constricting one renal artery and leaving the contralateral kidney untouched is not necessarily augmented. This conclusion is compatible with observations in hypertensive humans with unilateral renal artery stenosis. The previous finding of a large increase of plasma renin activity in this type of experimental hypertension is an artefact due to urethane anesthesia.
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U. Helmchen und U. Kneissler supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.
P. Churchill supported by National Science Foundation, Post-Doctoral Grant Number 49072, U.S.A.
L. Peters-Haefeli, G. Peters and G. Schaechtelin supported by Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique, Grant No. 53153.
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Helmchen, U., Kneissler, U., Churchill, P. et al. Plasma renin activity in renal hypertensive rats. Pflugers Arch. 332, 232–238 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00587450
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00587450