Effect of epinephrine on tubular reabsorption of glucose by dog kidney

¹ Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland

Standard renal clearance techniques have been used to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and tubular reabsorptive capacity for glucose (Tm_g) in dogs when epinephrine was infused under a variety of conditions. In experiments conducted on dogs under conditions of hypoxia or during simultaneous determination of Tm_pah with Na and K acetate infusion, epinephrine infusion had no consistent effect on either GFR or Tm_g. However, in experiments on laparotomized dehydrated dogs, in experiments on animals receiving intravenous Metycaine, and in experiments uncomplicated by any of these additional procedures, epinephrine significantly increased Tm_g (mean + 8.8%) without causing any significant change in GFR (mean + 1.5%). The data are interpreted as evidence for a metabolic action of epinephrine either directly or indirectly on the tubular transport system for glucose.