Effects of experimental potassium depletion on renal function and urinary prostanoid excretion in normal women during moderate anti-diuresis.

The hypothesis that potassium depletion (KD) might play a role in stimulating the renal synthesis of prostanoids, and that these materials can contribute to hypokalaemic renal dysfunction, has been tested. Healthy women were studied either in normal potassium balance (N,n = 14), or in experimental KD. KD was induced by low dietary potassium intake (less than or equal to 10 mmol day-1) and natriuretic treatment, associated with replacement of net NaCl and water loss. By using different depletive patterns, two groups with estimated cumulative potassium deficits of 160 +/- 43 mmol (KD1, n = 8) and 198 +/- 22 mmol (KD2, n = 6), respectively, were obtained. Renal function by the clearance (cl.) method and urinary PGE2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, TxB2 concentrations by the RIA method were measured during hypotonic polyuria (oral water load) and subsequent moderate antidiuresis induced by the infusion of low-dose lysine-8-vasopressin (LVP). Compared to the N group, only in the KD2 group do glomerular and tubular dysfunctions typical of hypokalaemia and reduced prostanoid excretions (significant for 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and TxB2 but not for PGE2) appear during polyuria besides the significant reductions of plasma potassium concentration, urinary potassium excretion and the significant increase in plasma renin activity. During LVP infusion the urinary prostanoid excretions were all significantly lower in absence of significant differences in urinary flow rate. Concerning its renal effects, LVP lost its ability to reduce the creatinine cl., while expressing a trend towards reduction in fractional chloride excretion. Indomethacin pretreatment restored the LVP effect on creatinine cl. and increased the antichloruretic LVP effect (although not significantly). To the extent that urinary prostanoid excretions reflect their intrarenal synthesis, our data demonstrate that KD inhibits this biosynthesis. A depressed production of prostanoids endowed with vasodilating and chloruretic activity probably played a role in attenuating the renal vascular hyporeactivity and the urinary chloride dispersion induced by KD.