Effects of a dietary prostaglandin precursor on the progression of experimentally induced chronic renal failure.

The effect of increasing a dietary PG precursor on the progression of chronic renal failure was studied in the partially nephrectomized rat. NLA or HLA diets were pair-fed to groups of 3/4-nephrectomized and sham-operated rats. Serum creatinine and urinary protein excretion were measured serially. Nephrectomized rats on the NLA diet had progressive deterioration of renal function, the serum creatinine level rising to 1.55 mg/dl by week 20. At week 20, by contrast, nephrectomized rats on the HLA diet maintained stable renal function; the serum creatinine level was 0.97 mg/dl at week 20. Urinary protein excretion was significantly lower and glomerular sclerosis was prevented in the rats fed the HLA diet. No changes were observed in the levels of blood pressure, serum cholesterol, or serum triglycerides as an effect of the diet. Increased PGE2 production, measured by radioimmunoassay in the renal cortex of rats on the HLA diet, suggested that the protective effect upon renal function in this model of chronic renal failure may be mediated by increased renal cortical PG formation.