Effect of renal perfusion pressure on sodium reabsorption from proximal tubules of superficial and deep nephrons.

Previous studies in rats have demonstrated that superficial proximal tubule sodium reabsorption does not change in response to alterations in renal perfusion pressure (RPP). The first objective of the present study was to estimate sodium reabsorption in response to acute changes in RPP utilizing fractional lithium reabsorption (FRLi) as an index of fractional sodium reabsorption (FRNa) by the proximal tubule of the kidney as a whole. FRLi decreased in response to increases in RPP, suggesting that sodium reabsorption by the proximal tubule of some nephron population is decreased. Therefore, the second objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that superficial and deep proximal tubules respond differently to changes in RPP by comparing proximal tubule sodium reabsorption from both nephron populations. In response to an acute change in RPP from 114 +/- 4 to 138 +/- 5 mmHg, FRNa by the proximal tubule and descending limb of Henle's loop in deep nephrons decreased from 71.3 +/- 2.3 to 55.8 +/- 5.6%, but FRNa by the superficial late proximal tubule was not changed: (44.3 +/- 4.8 to 45.1 +/- 3.9%). The urinary fractional reabsorption of sodium decreased from 96.7 +/- 0.6 to 94.5 +/- 0.5%. In summary, these studies demonstrate that increases in RPP have no effect on sodium reabsorption by the proximal tubule of superficial nephrons. In contrast, sodium delivery to the point of micropuncture in the descending limb of Henle's loop of deep nephrons was increased, suggesting inhibition of sodium reabsorption by proximal tubules of deep nephrons in response to increases in RPP.