Effect of alterations in extracellular fluid volume on urinary kallikrein in the conscious rat.

The effect of alterations in extracellular fluid volume (ECV) and solute concentration on excretion of urinary kallikrein was examined in conscious Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were given infusions of either dextrose and water, saline, or albumin according to a variety of protocols. These were designed to evaluate possible relationships between excretion of kallikrein, volume, sodium, and potassium. A reproducible pattern of kallikrein excretion was noted in all volume expanded groups. This consisted of a short lived increase during the initial hour of expansion with a subsequent fall to lower levels than baseline and a gradual recovery. To define the role of aldosterone in these studies, an adrenalectomized group and a group of appropriately prepared sham controls were expanded with saline. Adrenalectomy did not effect this pattern. We postulate a tubular "washout" phenomenon as the etiology of these observations. Results of these studies fail to demonstrate a consistent relationship between urinary volume, sodium, or potassium and the simultaneous amount of kallikrein found in the urine.