Autoregulation of blood flow in the rat kidney

We present evidence showing that renal blood flow (RBF) in the anesthetized nondiuretic rat can be measured reliably and accurately using a noncannulating flow transducer and an electromagnetic flowmeter. In vitro calibration yielded a linear relationship (r=0.998) between flowmeter output voltage and blood flow rates from 0.2 to 10.3 ml/min. Excellent agreement was observed between simultaneous determinations of RBF by the flowmeter and the PAH clearance technique. Glomerular filtration rate and RBF for a kidney with a flow transducer around its renal artery did not differ significantly from corresponding values for the undisturbed contralateral kidney. The relationship of mean RBF with steady-state variations in perfusion pressure was evaluated in 13 nondiuretic rats. RBF averaged 6 ml/min.g kidney wt at arterial pressures (AP) above 100 mmHg. A high degree of autoregulatory efficiency was observed when mean AP varied between 105 and 145 mmHg. Over this pressure range RBF changed only 3% as changes in intrarenal vascular resistance and AP were directly related (r=0.994). Below 95-105 mmHg RBF decreased in a curvilinear fashion with the concavity toward the pressure axis.

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				T. Wronski, E. Seeliger, P. B. Persson, C. Forner, C. Fichtner, J. Scheller, and B. Flemming The step response: a method to characterize mechanisms of renal blood flow autoregulation Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, October 1, 2003; 285(4): F758 - F764. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]