Support of Hypoxic Renal Cell Volume Regulation by Glycine

Abstract

In vivo measurements of frequency distributions of extracellular PO ₂ indicated local regions of tissue hypoxia in the renal cortex. Thus, almost 50% of the values ranged between 24 and 40 mmHg, about 10% were in the range of 10 to 20 mm Hg, and in 3% of the measurements even values between 1 to 10 mm Hg were obtained (Baumgärtl et al., 1972). The marginal oxygen supply of cortical cells was interpreted to be the result of a) the known high metabolic activity of renal cortical cells and b) a reduced vascular oxygen supply due to O₂-shunting from descending arterial vasa recta into closely arranged ascending renal veins. Accordingly, at an insufficient arterial oxygen supply local regions of tissue hypoxia became the predominant sites of hypoxic cellular damage (Alcorn et al., 1981).