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WATER AND ELECTROLYTE HOMEOSTASIS

Relaxin-induced changes in renal sodium excretion in the anesthetized male rat

School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

Submitted 28 July 2004 ; accepted in final form 22 September 2004

Pregnancy is associated with profound changes in renal hemodynamics and electrolyte handling. Relaxin, a hormone secreted by the corpus luteum, has been shown to induce pregnancy-like increases in renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and alter osmoregulation in nonpregnant female and male rats. However, its effects on renal electrolyte handling are unknown. Accordingly, the influence of short (2 h)- and long-term (7 day) infusion of relaxin on renal function was determined in the male rat. Short term infusion of recombinant human relaxin (rhRLX) at 4 µg·h^–1·100 g body wt^–1 induced a significant increase in effective renal blood flow (ERBF) within 45 min, which peaked at 2 h of infusion (vehicle, n = 6, 2.1 ± 0.4 vs. rhRLX, n = 7, 8.1 ± 1.1 ml·min^–1·100 g body wt^–1, P < 0.01). GFR and urinary excretion of electrolytes were unaffected. After a 7-day infusion of rhRLX at 4 µg/h, ERBF (1.4 ± 0.2 vs. 2.5 ± 0.4 ml·min^–1·100 g body wt^–1, P < 0.05), urine flow rate (3.1 ± 0.3 vs. 4.3 ± 0.4 µl·min^–1·100 g body wt^–1, P < 0.05) and urinary sodium excretion (0.8 ± 0.1 vs. 1.2 ± 0.1 µmol·min^–1·100 g body wt^–1, P < 0.05) were significantly higher; plasma osmolality and sodium concentrations were lower in rhRLX-treated rats. These data show that long-term relaxin infusion induces a natriuresis and diuresis in the male rat. The mechanisms involved are unclear, but they do not involve changes in plasma aldosterone or atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations.

relaxin; kidney; renal blood flow; aldosterone; atrial natriuretic peptide

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. C. Smith, Lee. A. Danielson, Kirk. P. Conrad, and J. M. Davison Influence of Recombinant Human Relaxin on Renal Hemodynamics in Healthy Volunteers J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., November 1, 2006; 17(11): 3192 - 3197. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]