SUMMARY1. Glomerular filtration rate (g.f.r.), renal plasma flow (r.p.f.), salt and water reabsorption and plasma concentrations ofprogresterone and prolactin were measured in virgins, 19 day pregnant and lactating rats.2. G.f.r. was raised by about 40 % in animals at 6-7 days of lactation when compared with virgins but towards the end of lactation returned to virgin levels. Salt and water reabsorption followed a similar pattern.3. At the time of maximum change of g.f.r. during lactation r.p.f. was raised by about 30 % and so filtration fraction rose by about 10 % when compared with virgins.4. Plasma prolactin and progesterone concentrations rose early in lactation but remained elevated when the renal changes had returned to normal.5. Factors other than changes in prolactin and progesterone concentrations must be implicated in the changes in renal function that occur during lactation.
SUMMARY1. Using free-flow micropuncture techniques, the rate of reabsorption from the proximal convoluted tubules was measured in virgin, 19-day-pregnant and 6-to 7-day-lactating Sprague-Dawley rats.2. In separate groups of animals proximal convoluted tubules were filled with silicone rubber, dissected out and their lengths measured.3. Single nephron glomerular rate was increased in pregnant and lactating animals. 4. The rate of reabsorption per unit length of the proximal convoluted tubule was decreased in pregnant animals but similar in virgins and lactating rats.5. The proximal convoluted tubule was increased in length in pregnant and lactating animals. As a result the total reabsorption by the proximal convoluted tubule was similar in virgin and pregnant animals but increased in lactating animals.6. The amount reabsorbed by the loop of Henle and distal parts of the nephron is greater in pregnant and lactating animals than in virgins.
There is evidence of impaired renal sodium excretion in salt-sensitive African Blacks. A decreased rate of renal sodium chloride (NaCl) excretion, low plasma renin activity and a tendency to elevated blood pressure are the hallmarks of salt sensitivity. Recent evidence indicates that increased proximal and distal tubular fluid reabsorption in some tropical residents may explain the impaired sodium excretion in these people. In this study of a cohort population, we speculated that subjects selected from that population might be salt-sensitive. We therefore measured the sodium balance in 10 normotensive male subjects over 10 consecutive days, after they had ingested a normal or a high amount of sodium, as NaCl (salt) in their diet. We quantified their renal sodium excretion rate by phenomenological analysis of their sodium balance data. We also measured plasma renin activity for 7 consecutive days in a separate group of 6 male and 4 female subjects in order to assess the state of their renin/angiotensin system. We selected all our subjects from a cohort population of 269 subjects randomly selected from a community known to have a high prevalence of primary hypertension. Our data on two separate groups of subjects from the same cohort population revealed delayed renal sodium excretion with t1/2 of about 5 days, compared to published data for normal individuals with t1/2 of less than 24 h. Also, plasma renin activity levels were low. Hence, our subjects are salt-sensitive. Quantification of their renal impairment is important for various reasons: it heightens one's appreciation of the problem of salt retention in African Blacks who are salt-sensitive and it also underlines the importance of the need for further research into the benefits of dietary salt restriction for reducing cardiovascular mortality in African populations, as has been done in some Western countries.
The kidney bears the brunt of the demands of a tropical climate for water and electrolyte homeostasis. We hypothesised that a tropical climate may cause adaptive changes in the entire organism leading to altered renal function in our subjects. Hence renal function data for residents of a temperate climate may not be applicable to tropical residents. We therefore sought to elucidate renal function in subjects residing in a tropical climate. We used lithium clearance, CLi, a non-invasive tool for assessing proximal tubular function in humans, and endogenous creatinine clearance, CCr, to estimate proximal tubular function and glomerular function, respectively, in our subjects. We did this in order to establish whether or not nephron function in our subjects differs from that for residents of a temperate climate. Nineteen male and 12 female Ghanaian subjects aged between 15 and 48 years were studied. The estimated GCr was 117.3 +/- 6.6 ml/min for male subjects and 97 +/- 6.4 ml/min for female subjects. CLi was 20.3 +/- 1.6 ml/min for male and 19.1 +/- 0.4 ml/min for female subjects, respectively. The estimated absolute reabsorption rate of fluid of proximal tubules was 97.0 +/- 6.0 ml/min for males and 78.1 +/- 6.0 ml/min for females. The percentage proximal fluid reabsorption for male and female subjects was 81.2 +/- 1.4 and 79.5 +/- 1.6, respectively. The differences between male and female values (mean +/- SEM) were not statistically significant. The data suggest that the proximal tubule in residents of a tropical climate may reabsorb more fluid compared to that in residents of a temperate climate. Our values for proximal tubular reabsorption are higher than those reported for residents of a temperature climate. Our estimate of glomerular filtration, however, is similar to published data for Caucasians. The difference in proximal tubular function may reflect possible renal adaptation to a hot, humid climate. We conclude that renal function of tropical residents differs from that of residents of a temperate climate. This difference may be due to renal adaptation to the hot, tropical climate.
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