Contribution of endogenous vasoactive compounds to renal vascular resistance in neonatal chronic partial ureteral obstruction.

To evaluate the relative contribution of endogenous vasoactive compounds to maintenance of increased renal vascular resistance in neonatal obstructive nephropathy, cardiac output and renal blood flow were measured using radioactive microspheres in 25 +/- 3 day-old guinea pigs subjected to unilateral partial ureteral constriction within the first two days of life. Mass and renal blood flow of the obstructed kidney were significantly lower than those of the contralateral kidney. Following a control period, thromboxane synthesis was blocked by infusion of OKY-046, after which prostaglandin synthesis was inhibited by indomethacin. In a separate group of animals, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, MK-422, was infused before or after administration of OKY-046. While neither OKY-046 nor indomethacin had a consistent effect on vascular resistance, infusion of MK-422 resulted in selective reduction of renal vascular resistance of the obstructed kidney compared to resistance in the intact kidney and other vascular beds. Removal of the contralateral kidney at the time of ureteral constriction in an additional group of animals resulted in hypertrophy and vasodilation of the obstructed kidney which was not altered by thromboxane or cyclooxygenase inhibition. We conclude that in the neonatal kidney subjected to ipsilateral chronic partial ureteral obstruction, vasoconstriction is mediated at least in part by angiotensin II, but not by thromboxane. Furthermore, vasodilation of the obstructed kidney resulting from contralateral nephrectomy is not dependent on prostaglandin synthesis. Renal vascular resistance of the kidney with prolonged partial ureteral constriction in early development thus appears to be inversely related to renal growth and is not significantly mediated by endogenous prostanoids.