Exenatide enhances kaliuresis under conditions of hyperkalemia

Experiments on Wistar rats showed that exenatide (0.015-0.5 nmol per 100 g body weight) somewhat increased renal excretion of potassium from 7±1 to 16±1 μmol/h/100 g body weight (p<0.05) in animals with normal serum concentration of glucose (4.6±0.4 mM) and potassium (4.3±0.1 mM). Exenatide dramatically enhanced excretion of potassium under conditions of hyperkalemia (11.4±0.4 mM) produced by intraperitoneal injection of 1.25% KCl solution (5 ml per 100 g body weight). During the first postinjection hour, potassium excretion increased 2-fold and attained 97±11 μmol/h/100 g body weight in comparison with potassium load alone (47±9 μmol/h/100 g body weight, p<0.05). The data attest to a possible role of peptide regulators in normalization of potassium balance via renal mechanisms.