Abstract
Summary
Renal functions were evaluated in left and right kidneys of pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs and rabbits using the usual clearance techniques and following acute, surgical denervation of one kidney. In dogs, free water reabsorption was greater on the denervated side; in rabbits it was significantly less. The decreased free water reabsorption in the denervated rabbit kidney could not be attributed to decreased filtration rate, osmolal clearance, or sodium delivery distal to the proximal tubule or to increased medullary blood flow.
The conclusion was that denervation, by relaxing cortical arterioles, partially shunted blood flow and glomerular filtration from medulla to cortex. In the rabbits, but not the dogs, such a redistribution should limit sodium turnover rate in the medulla and decrease free water reabsorption because, in rabbits, some cortical nephrons are said to lack medullary loops of Henle.
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