Intrarenal conversion of prostaglandin F2 alpha into prostaglandin E2 and renin release in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

1. Isolated rat kidneys were perfused with a modified Krebs-Henseleit medium at constant pressure. 2. When prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) was infused into these kidneys at 0.1 mumol/l (final concentration) PGF2 alpha-derived prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) could be identified by high-performance liquid chromatography and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. 3. The extent of this conversion of PGF2 alpha into PGE2 during passage through the kidney is dependent on the salt history of the rats from which the kidneys were taken for perfusion: kidneys from rats kept on normal diet converted 10%, those from rats on a low sodium diet 5% and those from rats kept on a high sodium diet 11%. 4. These differences in conversion can account for the different increases in renin release after PGF2 alpha infusion in these groups.