We examined the role of oxygen free radicals in cisplatin-induced acute renal failure (ARF). The intravenous injection of cisplatin (5 mg/kg body weight) induced an increase in serum creatinine and tubular damage in the outer stripe of the outer medulla in rats. The renal content of malondialdehyde (MDA) transiently increased. Treatment with the free radical scavengers dimethylthiourea (DMTU) or lecithinized superoxide dismutase (L-SOD) attenuated the increase in serum creatinine. The beneficial effect of DMTU, a hydroxyl radical scavenger, was associated with less accumulation of MDA, less tubular damage, and enhanced expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the damaged tubular cells, but not with improvement of reduced renal blood flow (RBF). On the other hand, the beneficial effect of L-SOD, a superoxide anion scavenger, was associated with preservation of RBF and increased urinary guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate excretion but not with modification of tubular damage or PCNA expression. These results suggest that (1) cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was associated with lipid peroxidation, (2) the hydroxyl radical scavenger prevented ARF through both attenuation of tubular damage and enhanced regenerative response of the damaged tubular cells, and (3) the superoxide anion scavenger did the same through preservation of RBF. It follows that oxygen free radicals may play an important role in cisplatin-induced ARF by reducing RBF and inducing tubular damage.

Based on evidence that extracellular ATP can influence vascular smooth muscle function in other organ systems, experiments were conducted to characterize the responsiveness of rat juxtamedullary microvascular segments to ATP. Experiments were performed using the in vitro blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron preparation combined with video microscopy. Pentobarbital-anesthetized rats were pretreated with enalaprilat (2 mg iv) for 30 min before the right kidney was isolated and prepared for study. Renal perfusion pressure was set at 110 mmHg and held constant. Under control conditions, afferent and efferent arteriolar diameters averaged 19.9 +/- 1.4 (n = 19) and 21.6 +/- 1.2 microns (n = 10), respectively. Superfusion with 1, 10, and 100 microM ATP solutions induced sustained dose-dependent afferent vasoconstriction of 8.3 +/- 1.4, 12.8 +/- 1.7, and 12.1 +/- 2.1%, respectively (P < 0.01). Afferent vasoconstrictor responses to ATP were also observed during adenosine receptor blockade. In contrast, efferent arterioles were unresponsive to ATP stimulation even at concentrations as high as 100 microM (P > 0.05). Arcuate and interlobular arterial diameters averaged 82.0 +/- 15.7 (n = 5) and 43.4 +/- 4.5 microns (n = 6), respectively, during control conditions and responded to ATP treatment with a transient vasoconstriction followed by a gradual return to control diameter. Interlobular arteries exhibited a sustained constriction only at the 100 microM concentration (P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that afferent arterioles are more responsive to ATP treatment than other renal microvascular segments and suggest the presence of ATP-sensitive P2x purinoceptors on pre- but not postglomerular juxtamedullary microvascular elements.

We recently developed a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight (MALDI-QIT-TOF)-based imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) system. This system enables us to perform structural analyses using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), as well as to visualize phospholipids and peptides in frozen sections. In the retina, phototransduction is regulated by the light-sensitive interaction between visual pigment-coupled receptor proteins, such as rhodopsin, and G proteins, such as transducin. There are some reports that the conformation of rhodopsin is influenced by the composition of phospholipids in the lipid bilayer membrane. However, these results were based on in vitro experiments and have not been analyzed in vivo. In this study, we visualized and identified phospholipids in mouse retinal sections with the MALDI-QIT-TOF-based IMS system. From a spectrum obtained by raster-scanned analysis of the sections, ions with high signal intensities were selected and analyzed by MS/MS. As a result, sixteen ions were identified as being from four diacyl-phosphatidylcholine (PC) species, i.e., PC (16:0/16:0), PC (16:0/18:1), PC (16:0/22:6), and PC (18:0/22:6), with different ion forms. The ion images revealed different distributions on the retinal sections: PC (16:0/18:1) was distributed in the inner nuclear layer and outer plexiform layer, PC (16:0/16:0) in the outer nuclear layer and inner segment, and both PC (16:0/22:6) and PC (18:0/22:6) in the outer segment and pigment epithelium. In conclusion, our in vivo IMS analyses demonstrated a three-zone distribution of PC species on the retinal sections. This approach may be useful for analyzing lipid changes and their contribution to phototransduction in the retina.

The in vitro blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron technique was utilized to determine the contribution of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) to resting renal arteriolar caliber and to evaluate the interaction between EDRF and angiotensin II (ANG II) in renal microvascular control. Video microscopy was employed to visualize rat afferent and efferent arterioles and to measure their responses to blockade of nitric oxide (NO), which has been shown to account for much of the biological action of EDRF. The NO synthesis inhibitor, N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), elicited vasoconstriction in a concentration-dependent manner, with 1,000 microM L-NNA significantly reducing both afferent (16 +/- 3%) and efferent (13 +/- 1%) diameters. This concentration of L-NNA also blocked the vasodilator response to 10 microM acetylcholine, while responsiveness to sodium nitroprusside was maintained. Vasoconstrictor responses to 1,000 microM L-NNA were attenuated in kidneys from rats pretreated with enalaprilat or losartan, reducing afferent diameter by 7 +/- 1 (n = 8) and 3 +/- 1% (n = 10) of control, respectively. Efferent arteriolar responses to L-NNA were similarly attenuated by losartan. The constrictor response to 10 nM ANG II was not exaggerated by L-NNA, suggesting that ANG II does not stimulate EDRF synthesis. These observations indicate that EDRF is continuously released in a quantity sufficient to affect both afferent and efferent arterioles of juxtamedullary nephrons in vitro. Furthermore, ANG II blockade attenuates the vasoconstriction elicited by L-NNA, suggesting that EDRF interacts with the renin-angiotensin system to control juxtamedullary afferent and efferent arteriolar resistance.

Previous studies have suggested a paracrine role for extracellular ATP in the regulation of afferent arteriolar tone. The current study was conducted to determine the dependence of this response on calcium entry mechanisms. Experiments were performed in vitro using the blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron technique combined with video microscopy. The afferent arteriolar response to alpha, beta-methylene ATP was determined before and after treatment with the calcium channel blockers, diltiazem or felodipine. alpha, beta-Methylene ATP was used to obviate concerns over responses being elicited by ATP or by ATP hydrolysis products such as adenosine. Previous studies have shown that afferent arteriolar responses to alpha, beta-methylene ATP are comparable to those elicited by ATP. alpha, beta-Methylene ATP (1.0 microM) induced a rapid initial afferent vasoconstriction of 72.5 +/- 10.6%, which partially recovered to a stable diameter 11.3 +/- 1.7% smaller than control (P < 0.01 vs control). Afferent diameter returned to control diameter on removal of ATP from the bath. Diltiazem or felodipine treatment significantly increased afferent diameter by 5.6 +/- 2.3 and 16.4 +/- 4.6%, respectively (P < 0.05). In the presence of either diltiazem or felodipine, the initial vasoconstriction to alpha, beta-methylene ATP was attenuated, and the sustained vasoconstriction was completely blocked. Removal of calcium from the extracellular medium completely abolished both the initial and sustained vasoconstrictor response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)