Urinary and kidney kallikrein in hypertensive rats.

Urinary and kidney kallikrein were studied in rats with renal clip hypertension. The effect of protease inhibitors on urinary and kidney BAEE esterase activity was similar. Both hypertensive and not hypertensive operated rats excrete significantly less kallikrein than controls; in the ischaemic kidney kallikrein is diminished whereas is not increased in contralateral. Kallikrein is therefore related to renal functional mass but does not seem responsible for a natriuretic effect.