Renal effects of captopril and nitrendipine in transgenic rats with an extra renin gene

We investigated the acute effects of captopril and nitrendipine on renal function and sodium excretion in hypertensive, male, heterozygous transgenic rats harboring a mouse renin gene [TGR (mRen-2)27]. Both drugs reduced blood pressure dose dependently in conscious transgenic rats. The oral ED20 for captopril was 0.5 mg/kg and 2.7 mg/kg for nitrendipine. In orally salt-loaded (20 mL/kg saline) transgenic rats captopril (0.3 to 3.0 mg/kg) reduced sodium excretion by approximately 90% in the 6 hours after administration, whereas equally antihypertensive doses of nitrendipine increased sodium excretion by approximately 100%. The antinatriuretic effect of captopril was accompanied by a reduction in creatinine clearance and a decrease in the excretion of cyclic GMP. In orally water-loaded (20 mL/kg water) transgenic rats captopril also reduced sodium excretion by more than 90%, and nitrendipine slightly increased sodium excretion. In control Sprague-Dawley rats the effects were opposite; namely, captopril tended to increase natriuresis, and nitrendipine caused a small but distinct decrease in sodium excretion. Intravenous captopril in anesthetized transgenic rats caused an antinatriuresis with a decrease in inulin clearance but not in Sprague-Dawley rats. To control for non-renin-related effects of captopril, we gave transgenic rats oral losartan. Losartan also decreased urinary sodium excretion. The results suggest a role for the renin-angiotensin system in the maintenance of glomerular filtration rate and sodium excretion in transgenic TGR (mRen-2)27 rats.