Role of renal nerves in sodium retention of cirrhosis and congestive heart failure.

To define the role of renal nerves in renal Na retention of cirrhosis and congestive heart failure (CHF), experiments were done in rats with cirrhosis due to common bile duct ligation (CBDL) and CHF due to myocardial infarction from left coronary artery ligation. Two weeks after induction of CBDL or CHF, diseased and sham diseased (Sham) rats were subjected to bilateral renal denervation (DNX) or sham renal denervation (innervated, INN). Five days after DNX or INN, 26-day metabolic balance studies were carried out in all rats. Daily dietary Na intake averaged 2.0-3.0 meq/day on days 1-6 and 22-26 and averaged 0.120 meq/day on days 7-21. Cumulative Na balance was greater in CBDL and CHF rats, INN or DNX, than in Sham/CBDL or CHF rats throughout the study. On day 6 at the end of the normal dietary Na intake period (days 0-6), cumulative Na balance was not affected by renal denervation in Sham/CBDL or CHF rats (INN, 2.02 +/- 0.19 meq, n = 10; DNX, 2.04 +/- 0.17 meq, n = 11), CBDL rats (INN, 4.21 +/- 0.39 meq, n = 10; DNX, 3.78 +/- 0.37 meq, n = 10), or CHF rats (INN, 3.74 +/- 0.72 meq, n = 9; DNX, 3.22 +/- 0.55 meq, n = 10).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)