Arterial blood pressures in 18 lambs who had been nephrectomized 3–24 days before were not significantly different from those of 26 control fetuses or from those of control fetuses in the literature. Plasma renin activities were below the detection level of our assay. The nephrectomized fetuses continued to grow according to a variety of indices. We concluded that neither the kidney nor the renin angiotensin system are necessary for the long-term regulation of fetal blood pressure, probably because of their inability to affect placental exchange of water and electrolytes.
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