Dietary sodium affects the systemic and renal hemodynamic response to no-inhibition in healthy humans. Bech, J. N., C. B. Nielsen, P. Ivarsen, K. T. Jensen, and E. B. Pedersen. Research Laboratory of Nephrology and Hypertension, Aarhus Amtssygehus, University Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark
APStracts 5:0027F, 1998.
Animal studies have indicated that increased nitric oxide (NO) synthesis plays a significant role in the renal adaptation to increased sodium intake. To investigate the role of NO during increased sodium intake in humans, we studied the effect of acute, systemic injection of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) on renal hemodynamics (GFR and RPF), urinary sodium excretion (FENa), systemic hemodynamics (MAP, HR) and plasma levels of several vasoactive hormones in 12 healthy subjects during high (250 mmol/day) and low (77 mmol/day) sodium intake in a crossover design. The sodium diets were administered for 5 days before the L-NMMA treatments in randomized order with a washout period of 9 days between each diet and L-NMMA treatment. GFR and RPF were measured using the renal clearance of 51-Cr-EDTA and 125-I-Hippuran by the constant infusion technique in clearance periods of 30 min. duration. Two baseline periods were obtained after which L-NMMA was given (3 mg/kg over 10 min.) and the effect of treatment was followed over the next 5 clearance periods. During high sodium intake L-NMMA induced a more pronounced relative decrease in RPF (P=0.0417,ANOVA), a more pronounced relative decrease in FENa (P=0.0032, ANOVA) and a more pronounced relative increase in MAP (P=0.0231, ANOVA). During low sodium intake the effect of L-NMMA on FENa was abolished. During low sodium intake, L-NMMA induced a sustained drop in plasma renin (31+/ -5 vs. 25+/-5 [mu]U/ml, P<0.001), which was not seen during high sodium intake. The data indicate, that increased production of NO is an important part of the adaptation to increased dietary sodium intake in healthy humans with respect to renal hemodynamics, sodium excretion and the secretion of renin.

Received 2 September 1997; accepted in final form 22 January
1998.
APS Manuscript Number F282-7.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Renal Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1998 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 28 January 1998