Disposition of bumetanide in the isolated perfused rat kidney: effects of probenecid and dose response.

The isolated perfused rat kidney was used to study the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relation of bumetanide and furosemide. Diuresis, as indicated by the concomitant increase in urine volume and fractional excretion of sodium, was produced with both drugs. The action of furosemide was dependent on a high clearance resulting from combined glomerular filtration and tubular secretion. The site of furosemide action was the luminal side of the nephron and a large amount of drug was required in the tubular lumen to produce diuresis. A bidirectional transport of bumetanide was indicated. Although tubular secretion of bumetanide was demonstrated, the action of bumetanide was not dependent on secretion and the highest response was achieved when bumetanide was filtered and partially reabsorbed. The lack of dependency on secretion to produce a response may be indicative of bumetanide reaching its site of action from the luminal as well as the vascular side of the nephron. In the isolated perfused rat kidney, although both drugs had the same pharmacodynamic endpoint, each drug had a different pharmacokinetic profile that characterized its response.