Distal tubular feedback in the autoregulation of single nephron glomerular filtration rate

Renal clearance and recollection micro-puncture experiments were conducted to evaluate the possible role of a distal tubular feedback mechanism in the phenomenon of renal autoregulation in dogs. Single nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR) was measured from collection sites in both the proximal (proximal SNGFR) and distal tubules (distal SNGFR). Single nephron autoregulatory behavior was assessed by evaluating the response of SNGFR to a reduction in renal arterial pressure imposed by means of an aortic constrictor. Whole kidney function was evaluated by parallel measurements of renal blood flow and inulin clearance. Whole kidney autoregulation was observed when renal arterial pressure was decreased from 141 +/- 3 (SE) mm Hg to 101 +/- 2 mm Hg; renal blood flow and GFR were not significantly altered from control values of 3.76 +/- 0.2 ml/min.g and 0.69 +/- 0.04 ml/min.g kidney weight, respectively. In 11 autoregulating preparations, proximal transit time was likewise unchanged from the control value of 26 +/- 2 s, indirectly suggesting that the superficial nephrons also participated in the autoregulatory response. However, proximal SNGFR decreased significantly from 88 +/- 7 nl/min to 66 +/- 6 nl/min, a reduction which was proportional to the decrease in arterial pressure. In 14 dogs in which both proximal SNGFR and distal SNGFR were measured at control blood pressure (136 +/- 5 mm Hg), distal SNGFR was 47 +/- 4 nl/min, a value significantly lower than that for proximal SNGFR (79 +/- 6 nl/min). In contrast to the results based upon proximal collections, distal SNGFR was not significantly altered following aortic constriction (44 +/- 5 nl/min vs. 47 +/- 5 nl/min) therefore exhibiting autoregulation in association with that observed for the whole kidney. These experiments indicate that though superficial nephrons do possess autoregulatory capability, interruption of distal delivery due to complete collection from the proximal tubule interferes with that nephron's ability to manifest an autoregulatory response. They support the concept that a feedback mechanism, related to some function of distal delivery, is of significance in the intrinsic regulation of SNGFR. The data further suggest that quantitative estimates of SNGFR based on complete proximal collections may not be representative of those throughout the superficial cortex of the dog, at least in certain experimental circumstances.