AJP - Renal Physiology, Vol 247, Issue 4 568-F574, Copyright © 1984 by American Physiological Society
Ischemic acute renal failure in the rat: protective effect of uninephrectomy
T. A. Fried, A. Hishida, J. L. Barnes and J. H. Stein
Experiments were performed to investigate the effect 2-wk prior nephrectomy
has on the recovery from a 40-min renal artery occlusion. Two groups were
initially examined. Group 1 animals underwent sham nephrectomy and group 2
animals right nephrectomy 14 days prior to a 40-min left renal artery
clamp. The percent recovery of inulin clearance in group 2 (33 +/- 6%) was
not significantly different from that in the group 1 (36 +/- 8%) when
measured 3 h after reflow. At 24 and 48 h of reflow, however, group 2
animals had a significantly higher percent recovery of inulin clearance (24
h: 31 +/- 5%; 48 h: 50 +/- 11%) than group 1 animals (24 h: 1 +/- 1%; 48 h:
8 +/- 4%). Similarly the histology was better preserved at 24 and 48 h in
group 2. To further investigate this enhanced recovery, three additional
groups were studied. Group 3 underwent right nephrectomy at the time of
renal artery occlusion. Group 4 had right uretero-venostomies created
immediately prior to the ischemic insult, and group 5 had their aortas
rather than left renal arteries clamped. Each group shared with group 2,
ischemia to all functioning excretory tissue. The percent recovery of
inulin clearance in group 3 (48 +/- 9%), group 4 (54 +/- 5%), and group 5
(42 +/- 6%) were each significantly (P less than 0.005) higher than in
group 1 (8 +/- 4%) when measured at 48 h. We conclude that the protection
offered by uninephrectomy is not a consequence of hypertrophy but that
alterations in the environment which follow ischemia to all functioning
excretory renal tissue are responsible for the enhanced recovery seen.
