scholarly journals Impact of nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation on outer medullary NaCl transport and oxygenation

2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (7) ◽  
pp. F907-F917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Edwards ◽  
Anita T. Layton

The present study aimed to elucidate the reciprocal interactions between oxygen (O2), nitric oxide (NO), and superoxide (O2−) and their effects on vascular and tubular function in the outer medulla. We expanded our region-based model of transport in the rat outer medulla (Edwards A, Layton AT. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 301: F979–F996, 2011) to incorporate the effects of NO on descending vasa recta (DVR) diameter and blood flow. Our model predicts that the segregation of long DVR in the center of vascular bundles, away from tubular segments, gives rise to large radial NO concentration gradients that in turn result in differential regulation of vasoactivity in short and long DVR. The relative isolation of long DVR shields them from changes in the rate of NaCl reabsorption, and hence from changes in O2 requirements, by medullary thick ascending limbs (mTALs), thereby preserving O2 delivery to the inner medulla. The model also predicts that O2− can sufficiently decrease the bioavailability of NO in the interbundle region to affect the diameter of short DVR, suggesting that the experimentally observed effects of O2− on medullary blood flow may be at least partly mediated by NO. In addition, our results indicate that the tubulovascular cross talk of NO, that is, the diffusion of NO produced by mTAL epithelia toward adjacent DVR, helps to maintain blood flow and O2 supply to the interbundle region even under basal conditions. NO also acts to preserve local O2 availability by inhibiting the rate of active Na+ transport, thereby reducing the O2 requirements of mTALs. The dual regulation by NO of oxygen supply and demand is predicted to significantly attenuate the hypoxic effects of angiotensin II.

2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (3) ◽  
pp. F616-F633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Edwards ◽  
Anita T. Layton

To examine the impact of the complex radial organization of the rat outer medulla (OM) on the distribution of nitric oxide (NO), superoxide (O2−) and total peroxynitrite (ONOO), we developed a mathematical model that simulates the transport of those species in a cross section of the rat OM. To simulate the preferential interactions among tubules and vessels that arise from their relative radial positions in the OM, we adopted the region-based approach developed by Layton and Layton ( Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 289: F1346–F1366, 2005). In that approach, the structural organization of the OM is represented by means of four concentric regions centered on a vascular bundle. The model predicts the concentrations of NO, O2−, and ONOO in the tubular and vascular lumen, epithelial and endothelial cells, red blood cells (RBCs), and interstitial fluid. Model results suggest that the large gradients in Po2 from the core of the vascular bundle toward its periphery, which stem from the segregation of O2-supplying descending vasa recta (DVR) within the vascular bundles, in turn generate steep radial NO and O2− concentration gradients, since the synthesis of both solutes is O2 dependent. Without the rate-limiting effects of O2, NO concentration would be lowest in the vascular bundle core, that is, the region with the highest density of RBCs, which act as a sink for NO. Our results also suggest that, under basal conditions, the difference in NO concentrations between DVR that reach into the inner medulla and those that turn within the OM should lead to differences in vasodilation and preferentially increase blood flow to the inner medulla.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 873-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. Cupples

The vasculature of the mammalian renal medulla is complex, having neither discrete input nor output. There is also efficient countercurrent exchange between ascending and descending vasa recta in the vascular bundles. These considerations have hampered measurement of medullary blood flow since they impose pronounced constraints on methods used to assess flow. Three main strategies have been used: (i) indicator extraction; (ii) erythrocyte velocity tracking; and (iii) indicator dilution. These are discussed with respect to their assumptions, requirements, and limitations. There is a consensus that medullary blood flow is autoregulated, albeit over a narrower pressure range than is total renal blood flow. When normalized to gram tissue weight, medullary blood flow in the dog is similar to that in the rat, on the order of 1 to 1.5 mL∙min−1∙g−1. This is considerably greater than estimated by the radioiodinated albumin uptake method which has severe conceptual and practical problems. From both theoretical and experimental evidence it ssems that urinary concentrating ability is considerably less sensitive to changes in medullary blood flow than is often assumed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (6) ◽  
pp. F1369-F1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Chen ◽  
Aurélie Edwards ◽  
Anita T. Layton

We used a mathematical model of O2 transport and the urine concentrating mechanism of the outer medulla of the rat kidney to study the effects of blood pH and medullary blood flow on O2 availability and Na+ reabsorption. The model predicts that in vivo paracellular Na+ fluxes across medullary thick ascending limbs (mTALs) are small relative to transcellular Na+ fluxes and that paracellular fluxes favor Na+ reabsorption from the lumen along most of the mTAL segments. In addition, model results suggest that blood pH has a significant impact on O2 transport and Na+ reabsorption owing to the Bohr effect, according to which a lower pH reduces the binding affinity of hemoglobin for O2. Thus our model predicts that the presumed greater acidity of blood in the interbundle regions, where mTALs are located, relative to that in the vascular bundles, facilitates the delivery of O2 to support the high metabolic requirements of the mTALs and raises the concentrating capability of the outer medulla. Model results also suggest that increases in vascular and tubular flow rates result in disproportional, smaller increases in active O2 consumption and mTAL active Na+ transport, despite the higher delivery of O2 and Na+. That is, at a sufficiently high medullary O2 supply, O2 demand in the outer medulla does not adjust precisely to changes in O2 delivery.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (5) ◽  
pp. F979-F996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Edwards ◽  
Anita T. Layton

We expanded our region-based model of water and solute exchanges in the rat outer medulla to incorporate the transport of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O2−) and to examine the impact of NO-O2− interactions on medullary thick ascending limb (mTAL) NaCl reabsorption and oxygen (O2) consumption, under both physiological and pathological conditions. Our results suggest that NaCl transport and the concentrating capacity of the outer medulla are substantially modulated by basal levels of NO and O2−. Moreover, the effect of each solute on NaCl reabsorption cannot be considered in isolation, given the feedback loops resulting from three-way interactions between O2, NO, and O2−. Notwithstanding vasoactive effects, our model predicts that in the absence of O2−-mediated stimulation of NaCl active transport, the outer medullary concentrating capacity (evaluated as the collecting duct fluid osmolality at the outer-inner medullary junction) would be ∼40% lower. Conversely, without NO-induced inhibition of NaCl active transport, the outer medullary concentrating capacity would increase by ∼70%, but only if that anaerobic metabolism can provide up to half the maximal energy requirements of the outer medulla. The model suggests that in addition to scavenging NO, O2− modulates NO levels indirectly via its stimulation of mTAL metabolism, leading to reduction of O2 as a substrate for NO. When O2− levels are raised 10-fold, as in hypertensive animals, mTAL NaCl reabsorption is significantly enhanced, even as the inefficient use of O2 exacerbates hypoxia in the outer medulla. Conversely, an increase in tubular and vascular flows is predicted to substantially reduce mTAL NaCl reabsorption. In conclusion, our model suggests that the complex interactions between NO, O2−, and O2 significantly impact the O2 balance and NaCl reabsorption in the outer medulla.


1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (3) ◽  
pp. F576-F581 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kiberd ◽  
C. R. Robertson ◽  
T. Larson ◽  
R. L. Jamison

We have previously shown that arginine vasopressin (AVP) in physiological amounts reduces inner medullary blood flow and that the mechanism of this decrease is at least in part mediated by the vasopressor (V1-receptor) action of AVP. To determine whether the antidiuretic action of AVP (V2-receptor) also contributes to the reduction in inner medullary blood flow, we determined capillary blood flow (QVR) in individual descending vasa recta (DVR) and ascending vasa recta (AVR) using fluorescence videomicroscopy in the exposed renal papilla of the anesthetized rat. Three groups of chronically water-diuretic rats were studied in three consecutive periods: control (period 1), experimental (period 2), and recovery (period 3). Group I rats (designated the AVP group) received AVP, 45 ng X h-1 X kg body wt-1; group II (AVP + V2-inhibitor), AVP plus its specific antidiuretic antagonist d(CH2)5[D-Ile2,Thr4]AVP; and group III (V2-inhibitor), the antagonist alone, respectively, in the experimental period 2. Only group I rats concentrated their urine, urine osmolality (Uosmol) = 499 +/- 48 mosmol/kgH2O, whereas urine remained hypotonic throughout in groups II and III. In group I, QVR in DVR and AVR decreased in period 2; but in groups II and III, QVR tended to increase. These results suggest that the AVP-induced decrease in papillary vasa recta blood flow is in part mediated by its antidiuretic V2-receptor as well as by its vasopressor (V1-receptor). They also suggest that the rate of urinary flow in the medullary collecting ducts is a determinant of inner medullary blood flow.


2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (1) ◽  
pp. R266-R272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mátyás Szentiványi ◽  
Ai-Ping Zou ◽  
David L. Mattson ◽  
Paulo Soares ◽  
Carol Moreno ◽  
...  

Studies were designed to examine the hypothesis that the renal medulla of Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) rats has a reduced capacity to generate nitric oxide (NO), which diminishes the ability to buffer against the chronic hypertensive effects of small elevations of circulating ANG II. NO synthase (NOS) activity in the outer medulla of Dahl S rats (arginine-citrulline conversion assay) was significantly reduced. This decrease in NOS activity was associated with the downregulation of protein expression of NOS I, NOS II, and NOS III isoforms in this region as determined by Western blot analysis. In anesthetized Dahl S rats, we observed that a low subpressor intravenous infusion of ANG II (5 ng · kg−1 · min−1) did not increase the concentration of NO in the renal medulla as measured by a microdialysis with oxyhemoglobin trapping technique. In contrast, ANG II produced a 38% increase in the concentration of NO (87 ± 8 to 117 ± 8 nmol/l) in the outer medulla of Brown-Norway (BN) rats. The same intravenous dose of ANG II reduced renal medullary blood flow as determined by laser-Doppler flowmetry in Dahl S, but not in BN rats. A 7-day intravenous ANG II infusion at a dose of 3 ng · kg−1 · min−1 did not change mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the BN rats but increased MAP in Dahl S rats from 120 ± 2 to 138 ± 2 mmHg ( P< 0.05). ANG II failed to increase MAP after NO substrate was provided by infusion of l-arginine (300 μg · kg−1 · min−1) into the renal medulla of Dahl S rats. Intravenous infusion ofl-arginine at the same dose had no effect on the ANG II-induced hypertension. These results indicate that an impaired NO counterregulatory system in the outer medulla of Dahl S rats makes them more susceptible to the hypertensive actions of small elevations of ANG II.


1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (5) ◽  
pp. R963-R973 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Roman ◽  
A. P. Zou

Although the role of the renal medullary circulation in the control of urinary concentrating ability is well established, its potential influence on tubular sodium reabsorption is not generally recognized. Nearly 30 years ago, changes in the intrarenal distribution of blood flow were first proposed to contribute to the natriuretic response to volume expansion. However, the lack of reliable methods for studying medullary blood flow limited progress in this area. The recent development of laser-Doppler flowmetry and videomicroscopic techniques for the study of the vasa recta circulation has renewed interest in the role of medullary hemodynamics in the control of sodium reabsorption. Results of these studies indicate that changes in renal medullary hemodynamics alter renal interstitial pressure and the medullary solute gradient and play an important role in the natriuretic response to elevations in renal perfusion pressure, intravenous infusion of saline, and changes in tubular sodium reabsorption produced by vasoactive compounds. What is emerging from these studies is the view that changes in renal medullary hemodynamics represent an important but misunderstood and long-ignored factor in the control of tubular sodium reabsorption.


2015 ◽  
Vol 308 (3) ◽  
pp. F179-F197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen W. Cowley ◽  
Michiaki Abe ◽  
Takefumi Mori ◽  
Paul M. O'Connor ◽  
Yusuke Ohsaki ◽  
...  

The physiological evidence linking the production of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide in the renal medullary thick ascending limb of Henle (mTAL) to regulation of medullary blood flow, sodium homeostasis, and long-term control of blood pressure is summarized in this review. Data obtained largely from rats indicate that experimentally induced elevations of either superoxide or hydrogen peroxide in the renal medulla result in reduction of medullary blood flow, enhanced Na+ reabsorption, and hypertension. A shift in the redox balance between nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is found to occur naturally in the Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rat model, where selective reduction of ROS production in the renal medulla reduces salt-induced hypertension. Excess medullary production of ROS in SS rats emanates from the medullary thick ascending limbs of Henle [from both the mitochondria and membrane NAD(P)H oxidases] in response to increased delivery and reabsorption of excess sodium and water. There is evidence that ROS and perhaps other mediators such as ATP diffuse from the mTAL to surrounding vasa recta capillaries, resulting in medullary ischemia, which thereby contributes to hypertension.


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (1) ◽  
pp. F273-F279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Kim ◽  
Thomas L. Pannabecker

The outer zone of the renal inner medulla (IM) is spatially partitioned into two distinct interstitial compartments in the transverse dimension. In one compartment (the intercluster region), collecting ducts (CDs) are absent and vascular bundles are present. Ascending vasa recta (AVR) that lie within and ascend through the intercluster region (intercluster AVR are designated AVR2) participate with descending vasa recta (DVR) in classic countercurrent exchange. Direct evidence from former studies suggests that vasopressin binds to V1 receptors on smooth muscle-like pericytes that regulate vessel diameter and blood flow rate in DVR in this compartment. In a second transverse compartment (the intracluster region), DVR are absent and CDs and AVR are present. Many AVR of the intracluster compartment exhibit multiple branching, with formation of many short interconnecting segments (intracluster AVR are designated AVR1). AVR1 are linked together and connect intercluster DVR to AVR2 by way of sparse networks. Vasopressin V2 receptors regulate multiple fluid and solute transport pathways in CDs in the intracluster compartment. Reabsorbate from IMCDs, ascending thin limbs, and prebend segments passes into AVR1 and is conveyed either upward toward DVR and AVR2 of the intercluster region, or is retained within the intracluster region and is conveyed toward higher levels of the intracluster region. Thus variable rates of fluid reabsorption by CDs potentially lead to variable blood flow rates in either compartment. Net flow between the two transverse compartments would be dependent on the degree of structural and functional coupling between intracluster vessels and intercluster vessels. In the outermost IM, AVR1 pass directly from the IM to the outer medulla, bypassing vascular bundles, the primary blood outflow route. Therefore, two defined vascular pathways exist for fluid outflow from the IM. Compartmental partitioning of V1 and V2 receptors may underlie vasopressin-regulated functional compartmentation of IM blood flow.


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