A modified Sperber technique for direct estimation of true renal tubular excretion fraction

The Sperber technique in the hen is particularly suitable for the study of renal tubular secretion. However, results obtained with this technique vary considerably, due to an unpredictable and highly variable shunting of renal portal blood. In an attempt to get a total and stable renal perfusion by portal blood from the leg, appropriate shunt vessels were ligated. This procedure was found to force all portal blood from the leg to perfuse the ligated kidney, without affecting the symmetry of glomerular filtration or renal clearance of 125-I-Na-o-iodohippurate between the kidneys. In conclusion, the abolition of renal portal shunt flow allows use of the Sperber technique for a direct estimation of the true tubular excretion fraction (TTEF) of a substance. Thus, TTEFPAH, a measure of the tubular excretion efficiency of para-amino-hippuric acid, was found to be about 70%. The stable renal perfusion in ligated animals will also facilitate comparative studies of renal tubular excretion in the hen. Moreover, no animal has to be rejected due to a low renal perfusion of portal blood. Furthermore, the use of ligated hens makes it unnecessary to use markers for the renal perfusion of portal blood when steady-state experiments are performed. Finally, the total renal perfusion of portal blood in ligated animals will facilitate the demonstration of a secretory component in the renal handling of substances with a low affinity for the renal transport system.