Renal kallikrein in chronic hypoxic rats.

1. We have studied the role of kallikrein (KK) in the maintenance of renal function in chronic hypoxic rats (high altitude; HA), compared with control rats kept at sea level (SL). Hypoxia was induced by placing female Wistar rats (198-290 g) in an altitude chamber (5500 m) 15 h/day for 4 weeks. Experiments were also conducted to study the interaction of KK with renal nerve activity and endothelin (ET), two parameters previously shown to be altered in this model. 2. It was found that renal cortex tissue KK activity (TKA) was not significantly different in 10 SL and 10 HA rats. However, the urinary KK activity (UKA) was reduced nearly to half (from 35.2 +/- 4.6 to 18.5 +/- 1.7 pkat/min) in HA rats after 4 weeks of chronic hypoxia. 3. Acute renal denervated diuresis was accompanied by a significant increase in UKA (from 9 +/- 2 to 14 +/- 2 pkat/min in HA and denervated HA rats, respectively; P < 0.05) in HA rats. Intrarenal arterial pretreatment of aprotinin reduced the denervated diuresis. 4. Endothelin (600 ng/kg per h) reduced urine flow, sodium and potassium excretion in the ipsilateral kidney in another 10 SL and 10 HA rats. The extent of the drop of these parameters was significantly less in HA rats. Urinary KK activity was correlated significantly with the measured renal functional parameters (r ranging from 0.472 to 0.612) in SL rats, but was insignificant in HA rats (r ranging from 0.032 to 0.192). 5. We have demonstrated that chronic exposure to hypoxia decreases urinary KK excretion and that KK is involved in acute renal denervated diuresis generated in these animals. The present study suggests that KK plays a partial role in the maintenance of renal function in chronic hypoxic rats.