title: Ischemic acute renal failure in the rat: protective effect of uninephrectomy.
abstract: Experiments were performed to investigate the effect 2-wk prior nephrectomy has on the recovery from a 40-min renal artery occlusion. Two groups were initially examined. Group 1 animals underwent sham nephrectomy and group 2 animals right nephrectomy 14 days prior to a 40-min left renal artery clamp. The percent recovery of inulin clearance in group 2 (33 +/- 6%) was not significantly different from that in the group 1 (36 +/- 8%) when measured 3 h after reflow. At 24 and 48 h of reflow, however, group 2 animals had a significantly higher percent recovery of inulin clearance (24 h: 31 +/- 5%; 48 h: 50 +/- 11%) than group 1 animals (24 h: 1 +/- 1%; 48 h: 8 +/- 4%). Similarly the histology was better preserved at 24 and 48 h in group 2. To further investigate this enhanced recovery, three additional groups were studied. Group 3 underwent right nephrectomy at the time of renal artery occlusion. Group 4 had right uretero-venostomies created immediately prior to the ischemic insult, and group 5 had their aortas rather than left renal arteries clamped. Each group shared with group 2, ischemia to all functioning excretory tissue. The percent recovery of inulin clearance in group 3 (48 +/- 9%), group 4 (54 +/- 5%), and group 5 (42 +/- 6%) were each significantly (P less than 0.005) higher than in group 1 (8 +/- 4%) when measured at 48 h. We conclude that the protection offered by uninephrectomy is not a consequence of hypertrophy but that alterations in the environment which follow ischemia to all functioning excretory renal tissue are responsible for the enhanced recovery seen.
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D007687:Kidney Tubules, Proximal / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009392:Nephrectomy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014513:Ureter / Q000098:blood supply