Increasing renal pelvic pressure increases afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) by a prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-mediated release of substance P (SP) from renal pelvic sensory nerves. We examined whether the ARNA responses were modulated by high- and low-sodium diets. Increasing renal pelvic pressure resulted in greater ARNA responses in rats fed a high-sodium than in those fed a low-sodium diet. In rats fed a low-sodium diet, increasing renal pelvic pressure 2.5 and 7.5 mmHg increased ARNA 2 +/- 1 and 13 +/- 1% before and 12 +/- 1 and 22 +/- 2% during renal pelvic perfusion with 0.44 mM losartan. In rats fed a high-sodium diet, similar increases in renal pelvic pressure increased ARNA 10 +/- 1 and 23 +/- 3% before and 1 +/- 1 and 11 +/- 2% during pelvic perfusion with 15 nM ANG II. The PGE2-mediated release of SP from renal pelvic nerves in vitro was enhanced in rats fed a high-sodium diet and suppressed in rats fed a low-sodium diet. The PGE2 concentration required for SP release was 0.03, 0.14, and 3.5 microM in rats fed high-, normal-, and low-sodium diets. In rats fed a low-sodium diet, PGE2 increased renal pelvic SP release from 5 +/- 1 to 6 +/- 1 pg/min without and from 12 +/- 1 to 21 +/- 2 pg/min with losartan in the incubation bath. Losartan had no effect on SP release in rats fed normal- and high-sodium diets. ANG II modulates the responsiveness of renal pelvic mechanosensory nerves by inhibiting PGE2-mediated SP release from renal pelvic nerve fibers.

Kopp UC, Cicha MZ, Smith LA, Mulder J, Hö kfelt T. Renal sympathetic nerve activity modulates afferent renal nerve activity by PGE 2-dependent activation of ␣1-and ␣2-adrenoceptors on renal sensory nerve fibers. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 293: R1561-R1572, 2007. First published August 15, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00485.2007.-Increasing efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity (ERSNA) increases afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA). To test whether the ERSNA-induced increases in ARNA involved norepinephrine activating ␣-adrenoceptors on the renal sensory nerves, we examined the effects of renal pelvic administration of the ␣ 1-and ␣2-adrenoceptor antagonists prazosin and rauwolscine on the ARNA responses to reflex increases in ERSNA (placing the rat's tail in 49°C water) and renal pelvic perfusion with norepinephrine in anesthetized rats. Hot tail increased ERSNA and ARNA, 6,930 Ϯ 900 and 4,870 Ϯ 670% ⅐ s (area under the curve ARNA vs. time). Renal pelvic perfusion with norepinephrine increased ARNA 1,870 Ϯ 210% ⅐ s. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the sympathetic and sensory nerves were closely related in the pelvic wall. Renal pelvic perfusion with prazosin blocked and rauwolscine enhanced the ARNA responses to reflex increases in ERSNA and norepinephrine. Studies in a denervated renal pelvic wall preparation showed that norepinephrine increased substance P release, from 8 Ϯ 1 to 16 Ϯ 1 pg/min, and PGE 2 release, from 77 Ϯ 11 to 161 Ϯ 23 pg/min, suggesting a role for PGE 2 in the norepinephrineinduced activation of renal sensory nerves. Prazosin and indomethacin reduced and rauwolscine enhanced the norepinephrine-induced increases in substance P and PGE 2. PGE2 enhanced the norepinephrine-induced activation of renal sensory nerves by stimulation of EP4 receptors. Interaction between ERSNA and ARNA is modulated by norepinephrine, which increases and decreases the activation of the renal sensory nerves by stimulating ␣ 1-and ␣2-adrenoceptors, respectively, on the renal pelvic sensory nerve fibers. Norepinephrine-induced activation of the sensory nerves is dependent on renal pelvic synthesis/release of PGE 2. substance P; EP4 receptor; pelvis; prazosin; rauwolscine THERE IS CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE for increased sympathetic nerve activation to further stimulate sensory nerve fibers following tissue injury (15). Studies on efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity (ERSNA) and afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) suggest that such an interaction is not restricted to conditions of tissue injury but is an important mechanism regulating ERSNA during physiological conditions (30). The kidney has a rich supply of sympathetic nerves, which innervate all parts of the vasculature and the nephron (2). In contrast, the majority of the sensory nerve fibers are localized to the renal pelvic wall (25,26,32). There is anatomical support for an interaction between ERSNA and ARNA, as shown by the close relationship between unmyelinated sympathetic nerve fibers and myelinated afferent nerve fibers in renal tissue...

Increased renal pelvic pressure or bradykinin increases afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) via PGE(2)-induced release of substance P. Protein kinase C (PKC) activation increases ARNA, and PKC inhibition blocks the ARNA response to bradykinin. We now examined whether bradykinin mediates the ARNA response to increased renal pelvic pressure by activating PKC. In anesthetized rats, the ARNA responses to increased renal pelvic pressure were blocked by renal pelvic perfusion with the bradykinin B(2)-receptor antagonist HOE 140 and the PKC inhibitor calphostin C by 76 +/- 8% (P < 0.02) and 81 +/- 5% (P < 0.01), respectively. Renal pelvic perfusion with 4beta-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) to activate PKC increased ARNA 27 +/- 4% and renal pelvic release of PGE(2) from 500 +/- 59 to 1, 113 +/- 183 pg/min and substance P from 10 +/- 2 to 30 +/- 2 pg/min (all P < 0.01). Indomethacin abolished the increases in substance P release and ARNA. The PDBu-mediated increase in ARNA was also abolished by the substance P-receptor antagonist RP 67580. We conclude that bradykinin contributes to the activation of renal pelvic mechanosensitive neurons by activating PKC. PKC increases ARNA via a PGE(2)-induced release of substance P.

Increasing renal pelvic pressure increases afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) by a PGE(2)-mediated release of substance P (SP) from renal pelvic nerves. The role of cAMP activation in the PGE(2)-mediated release of SP was studied by examining the effects of the adenylyl cyclase (AC) activator forskolin and AC inhibitor dideoxyadenosine (DDA). Forskolin enhanced the bradykinin-mediated release of SP from an isolated rat renal pelvic wall preparation, from 7.3 +/- 1.3 to 15.6 +/- 3.0 pg/min. PGE(2) at a subthreshold concentration for SP release mimicked the effects of forskolin. The EP(2) receptor agonist butaprost, 15 microM, and PGE(2), 0.14 microM, produced similar increases in SP release, from 5.8 +/- 0.8 to 17.0 +/- 2.3 pg/min and from 8.0 +/- 1.3 to 21.6 +/- 2.7 pg/min. DDA blocked the SP release produced by butaprost and PGE(2). The PGE(2)-induced release of SP was also blocked by the PKA inhibitors PKI(14-22) and H-89. Studies in anesthetized rats showed that renal pelvic administration of butaprost, 10 microM, and PGE(2), 0.14 microM, resulted in similar ARNA responses, 1,520 +/- 390 and 1,170 +/- 270%. s (area under the curve of ARNA vs. time) that were blocked by DDA. Likewise, the ARNA response to increased renal pelvic pressure, 7,180 +/- 710%. s, was blocked by DDA. In conclusion, PGE(2) activates the cAMP-PKA pathway leading to a release of SP and activation of renal pelvic mechanosensory nerve fibers.

activation of NO may function as an inhibitory neurotransmitter regulating the activation of renal mechanosensory nerve fibers by mechanisms related to activation of substance P receptors.

Increasing efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity (ERSNA) increases afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA), which in turn decreases ERSNA via activation of the renorenal reflexes in the overall goal of maintaining low ERSNA. We now examined whether the ERSNA-induced increases in ARNA are modulated by dietary sodium and the role of endothelin (ET). The ARNA response to reflex increases in ERSNA was enhanced in high (HNa)- vs. low-sodium (LNa) diet rats, 7,560 +/- 1,470 vs. 900 +/- 390%.s. The norepinephrine (NE) concentration required to increase PGE(2) and substance P release from isolated renal pelvises was 10 pM in HNa and 6,250 pM in LNa diet rats. In HNa diet pelvises 10 pM NE increased PGE(2) release from 67 +/- 6 to 150 +/- 13 pg/min and substance P release from 6.7 +/- 0.8 to 12.3 +/- 1.8 pg/min. In LNa diet pelvises 6,250 pM NE increased PGE(2) release from 64 +/- 5 to 129 +/- 22 pg/min and substance P release from 4.5 +/- 0.4 to 6.6 +/- 0.7 pg/min. In the renal pelvic wall, ETB-R are present on unmyelinated Schwann cells close to the afferent nerves and ETA-R on smooth muscle cells. ETA-receptor (R) protein expression in the renal pelvic wall is increased in LNa diet. In HNa diet, renal pelvic administration of the ETB-R antagonist BQ788 reduced ERSNA-induced increases in ARNA and NE-induced release of PGE(2) and substance P. In LNa diet, the ETA-R antagonist BQ123 enhanced ERSNA-induced increases in ARNA and NE-induced release of substance P without altering PGE(2) release. In conclusion, activation of ETB-R and ETA-R contributes to the enhanced and suppressed interaction between ERSNA and ARNA in conditions of HNa and LNa diet, respectively, suggesting a role for ET in the renal control of ERSNA that is dependent on dietary sodium.

.-Induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the renal pelvic wall increases prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) leading to stimulation of cAMP production, which results in substance P (SP) release and activation of renal mechanosensory nerves. The subtype of PGE receptors involved, EP2 and/or EP4, was studied by immunohistochemistry and renal pelvic administration of agonists and antagonists of EP2 and EP4 receptors. EP4 receptor-like immunoreactivity (LI) was colocalized with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-LI in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) at Th9-L1 and in nerve terminals in the renal pelvic wall. Th9-L1 DRG neurons also contained EP3 receptor-LI and COX-2-LI, each of which was colocalized with CGRP-LI in some neurons. No renal pelvic nerves contained EP3 receptor-LI and only very few nerves COX-2-LI. The EP1/EP2 receptor antagonist AH-6809 (20 M) had no effect on SP release produced by PGE2 (0.14 M) from an isolated rat renal pelvic wall preparation. However, the EP4 receptor antagonist L-161,982 (10 M) blocked the SP release produced by the EP2/EP4 receptor agonist butaprost (10 M) 12 Ϯ 2 vs. 2 Ϯ 1 and PGE2, 9 Ϯ 1 vs. 1 Ϯ 0 pg/min. The SP release by butaprost and PGE2 was similarly blocked by the EP4 receptor antagonist AH-23848 (30 M). In anesthetized rats, the afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) responses to butaprost 700 Ϯ 100 and PGE2 ⅐ 780 Ϯ 100% ⅐ s (area under the curve of ARNA vs. time) were unaffected by renal pelvic perfusion with AH-6809. However, 1 M L-161,982 and 10 M AH-23848 blocked the ARNA responses to butaprost by 94 Ϯ 5 and 78 Ϯ 10%, respectively, and to PGE2 by 74 Ϯ 16 and 74 Ϯ 11%, respectively. L-161,982 also blocked the ARNA response to increasing renal pelvic pressure 10 mmHg, 85 Ϯ 5%. In conclusion, PGE2 increases renal pelvic release of SP and ARNA by activating EP4 receptors on renal sensory nerve fibers. EP3 receptors; cyclooxygenase-2; substance P; butaprost; L-161,982 PROSTAGLANDIN E 2 (PGE 2 ) is the major product of cyclooxygenase (COX)-induced metabolism of arachidonic acid in the kidney (3) and plays a critical role for normal renal function by its effects on renal microvasculature and urinary water and sodium excretion. In addition to its direct effects on tubular sodium and water reabsorption, our studies indicate that PGE 2 also modulates urinary sodium excretion by its effects on afferent renal nerves (25,27,29).The majority of the afferent renal nerves containing substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are located in the renal pelvic wall (28,33,54). These nerves are activated by increases in renal pelvic pressure of a magnitude, Ն3 mmHg (26, 30), seen during moderate volume expansion. The increase in afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) produced by the increased renal pelvic pressure leads to a reflex decrease in efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity (ERSNA) and a diuresis and natriuresis, i.e., a renorenal reflex response (31).Among the various mechanisms activated by stretching the renal pelvic wall is induction of COX-2 leading to increased renal pelvic...

Activation of renal pelvic sensory nerves by increased pelvic pressure results in a renal pelvic release of substance P that is dependent on intact prostaglandin synthesis. An isolated renal pelvic wall preparation was used to examine whether PGE2increases the release of substance P from renal pelvic sensory nerves and by what mechanisms. The validity of the model was tested by examining whether 50 mM KCl increased substance P release from the pelvic wall. Fifty millimolar KCl produced an increase in substance P release, from 9.6 ± 1.6 to 26.8 ± 4.0 pg/min, P < 0.01, that was blocked by the L-type calcium blocker verapamil (10 μM). PGE2 (0.14 μM) increased the release of substance P from the pelvic wall from 8.9 ± 0.9 to 20.6 ± 3.3 pg/min, P < 0.01. PGE2 failed to increase substance P release in a calcium-free medium. The PGE2-induced substance P release was blocked by the N-type calcium blocker ω-conotoxin (0.1 μM) but was unaffected by verapamil. In conclusion, PGE2 increases the release of substance P from renal pelvic sensory nerves by a calcium-dependent mechanism that requires influx of calcium via N-type calcium channels.