Renal response to volume expansion: learning the experimental approach in the context of integrative physiology

We describe a laboratory experience for upper-level science students that provides a hands-on approach to understanding the basics of experimental physiology. A pre-lab, interactive tutorial develops the rationale for this experiment by reviewing the renal and cardiovascular mechanisms involved in the response to extracellular fluid volume expansion. After a hypothesis is stated, an experiment is designed to determine the relative importance of dilution of plasma proteins to the overall renal excretory response following volume expansion with intravenous saline. In the lab, students collect data from two groups of anesthetized rats. The protocol involves continuous monitoring of arterial pressure and periodic collection of urine and blood samples after volume expansion with either isotonic NaCl or isotonic NaCl plus 5% albumin. A post-lab tutorial is used to analyze, interpret, and discuss the data. Students next prepare an oral presentation, practice it, and finally present their results and answer questions before peers and instructors. This overall experience involves all of the components of doing a "real" experiment, starting with a question that is not answered in general textbooks of physiology and finishing with an oral presentation of the results. Along the way, students gain a better understanding of a complex homeostatic response and learn the care and value of using animals in research and teaching.