Different effects of various vasodilators on autoregulation of renal blood flow in anesthetized dogs

In order to examine whether the autoregulation of renal blood flow is equally influenced by all kinds of vasodilators, kidney perfusion experiments were performed in anesthetized dogs. The perfused kidney usually showed excellent autoregulation of blood flow over the perfusion pressure between 120 and 200 mmHg. Renal blood flow was increased by the renal arterial infusion of diltiazem (100 micrograms/min), papaverine (10 mg/min) or nicorandil (300 micrograms/min) (at the basal perfusion pressure of 100 mmHg) and was maintained at an increased level while the infusion was continued. On the other hand, renal blood flow was increased only transiently by the infusion of nitroglycerin (50 micrograms/min), and the blood flow gradually decreased to the basal level in spite of the continuous infusion. Infusions of diltiazem and papaverine abolished the autoregulation of renal blood flow besides the vasodilator effect, but infusions of nitroglycerin and nicorandil have no effect on the autoregulation. Furthermore, sodium nitroprusside (30 micrograms/min) and sodium nitrite (5 mg/min), which are assumed to produce vasodilation through cyclic GMP, also have no effect on the autoregulation of renal blood flow. In conclusion, all the vasodilators do not influence the renal blood flow autoregulation, and vasodilation caused by cyclic GMP is unconnected with the myogenic mechanism regulating the renal blood flow.