Renal Excretion of Cyanol in the Sculpin

Abstract

On the basis of previous work from his laboratory, Höber 1 postulated that cyanol would not be excreted by the aglomerular kidney, and obtained negative results in a few experiments on the goosefish. Marshall and Grafflin 2 reported that cyanol is not excreted by the aglomerular kidney of the toadfish at low dosage, but that at high dosage a small amount is excreted. They further found that when the sculpin, a glomerular marine teleost, was rendered functionally aglomerular by large doses of phlorizin, cyanol failed to appear in the urine. In view of Höber's negative results on the goosefish, the following experiment on this species (Lophius piscatorius) at rather high dosage is of interest. The specimen, weight 12 kilos, was given 1.5 gm. of cyanol intramuscularly, and 17 hours later showed a plasma concentration of 15.8 mg.%, urine 2.6 mg.%. A second urine taken an hour later contained 2.5 mg.%.

Four experiments upon the excretion of cyanol in the sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus) at rather high plasma levels are summarized below. The animals (167 to 305 gm.) received 40 mg. of the dye intramuscularly from 4 to 17 hours before the beginning of the urine collection period, which varied from 8 1/2 to 17 1/2 hours in length. Blood was drawn at the beginning and end of the period, and the mid-period concentration calculated. Plasma (P) and urinary (U) concentrations of cyanol are expressed as mg. %, urine flows as cc. per kg. per 24 hours.