Renal intracortical blood flow during hemorrhage: role of adrenergic mechanisms

Hemorrhagic hypotensin in anesthetized dogs produced a redistribution of renal blood flow from the outer to the inner cortex. The role of adrenergic mechanisms in this redistribution was studied in anesthetized dogs using a radioactive microspheres to determine intrarenal blood flow. Neither renal denervation, nor pretreatment with reserpine altered the characteristic redistribution of renal cortical flow during hemorrhage. These observations suggest that neither intact renal nerves nor circulating catecholamines are necessary for the redistribution of renal intracortical blood flow during hemorrhagic hypotension, and the role of myogenic autoregulation is emphasized.