Quantification of norepinephrine and its metabolites in the plasma of renal failure models.
OBJECTIVE
The plasma concentration of catecholamines and their metabolites generated by catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) were measured and their correlation with the progress of renal dysfunction was investigated in two distinctive animal models: a 5/6 nephrectomized Sprague-Dawley rat model and a 1/2 nephrectomized diabetic fatty Zucker rat model.


METHODS
A highly sensitive, high-performance liquid chromatography-peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence reaction detection was employed to obtain values for the ratio [NMN]/([NE] + [NMN]), where [NE] represents the plasma concentration of norepinephrine and [NMN] represents the plasma concentration of normetanephrine.


RESULTS
The [NMN]/([NE] + [NMN]) ratio correlated with both the increase in blood urea nitrogen concentration and the decrease in creatinine clearance.


CONCLUSIONS
The [NMN]/([NE] + [NMN]) ratio represents a quantitative indicator of the progress of renal dysfunction in the animal models. Regulation of COMT activity seemed to relate with the progress of renal dysfunction.
Iijima
Hiroshi
H
Biofunctional Organic Chemistry Unit, Nihon University School of Pharmacy, Chiba, Japan. iijima.hiroshi@nihon-u.ac.jp
Okada
Yuji
Y
Tsunoda
Makoto
M
Takamiya
Tomoko
T
Imai
Kazuhiro
K
D000818:Animals; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011924:Rats, Zucker; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine
D003404:Creatinine; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase; D009638:Norepinephrine