title: Metabolic clearance rate of arginine vasopressin in severe chronic renal failure.
abstract: 1. The metabolic clearance rate of arginine vasopressin was determined using a constant infusion technique in normal subjects and patients with chronic renal failure immediately before commencing dialysis. Endogenous arginine vasopressin was suppressed in all subjects before the infusion with a water load. 2. Plasma arginine vasopressin concentrations were determined using a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay after Florisil extraction. The detection limit of the assay was 0.3 pmol/l, and intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation at 2 pmol/l were 9.7% and 15.3%, respectively. 3. In normal subjects, the metabolic clearance rate was determined at two infusion rates producing steady-state concentrations of arginine vasopressin of 1.3 and 4.4 pmol/l. In the patients with renal failure, a single infusion rate was used, producing a steady-state concentration of 1.5 pmol/l. 4. At comparable plasma arginine vasopressin concentrations, metabolic clearance rate was significantly reduced in patients with renal failure (normal 1168 +/- 235 ml/min versus renal failure 584 +/- 169 ml/min; means +/- SD; P < 0.001). 5. Free water clearance was significantly reduced in normal subjects during the arginine vasopressin infusion from 8.19 +/- 2.61 to -1.41 +/- 0.51 ml/min (P < 0.001), but was unchanged in the patients with renal failure after attaining comparable plasma arginine vasopressin concentrations. 6. In normal subjects there was a small but significant fall in metabolic clearance rate at the higher steady-state arginine vasopressin concentration (1168 +/- 235 ml/min at 1.3 pmol/l versus 1059 +/- 269 ml/min at 4.4 pmol/l; P = 0.016).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Argent
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Baylis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin