Renal disposition of amylase, lipase, and lysozyme in the dog

Normal adult dogs were given intravenously lysine hydrochloride to abolish renal tubular reabsorption. The treatment caused tubular proteinuria. Once forced diuresis was established, fractional clearances for amylase, lipase, and lysozyme increased five-, 18-, and 857-fold over the baseline values, respectively. There was relatively little tubular reabsorption of amylase, and urinary amylase activity remained low. A renal arteriovenous difference in amylase activity was not present. Urinary amylase activity could not be reactivated by the addition of serum or treatment with dithiothreitol. Urinary inhibitors of amylase activity were not detected. Immunoreactive urinary amylase did not exceed kinetically measured urinary amylase. Therefore, the presence of irreversibly inactivated amylase did not explain the low fractional clearance of amylase. A small amount of serum macroamylase was present, but macroamylasemia did not account for canine amylase failing to pass the glomerular filter. It appears that the renal loss of amylase in the dog is not an important excretory route.