Renal function and Na-K-ATPase in rats after suprarenal ligation of inferior vena cava.

To assess the effects of altered renal function on Na-K-ATPase, the following groups of rats were studied: 1. rats with suprarenal vena cava ligation (SVCL), la. DOCA-treated rats with SVCL, 2. rats with infrarenal vena cava ligation (IVCL), 3. rats with glycerol-induced acute renal failure, 4. rats with bilateral ureteric ligation, and 5. K-exalate-treated rats with SVCL. In group 1, acute renal failure with hyperkalemia developed and medullary Na-K-ATPase increased from 95 +/- 5 in control to 155 +/- 7 mumol Pi/mg prot/h, P less than 0.001, DOCA did not prevent the increase of Na-K-ATPase. In group 2, medullary Na-K-ATPase decreased from 130 +/- 10 in control to 88 +/- 7, P less than 0.01, in rats with IVCL. In group 3, cortical Na-K-ATPase decreased from 55 +/- 5 to 27 +/- 6, P less than 0.02. In group 4, Na-K-ATPase was unchanged. In group 5, maintenance of normokalemia prevented the rise in Na-K-ATPase. These experiments demonstrated a K-dependent activation of medullary Na-K-ATPase after SVCL but not in other forms of renal failure. Because SVCL diminishes drastically GFR per nephron, the present findings imply that increased loads of Na and K per nephron are not a prerequisite for an increase in medullary Na-K-ATPase. Hyperkalemia in presence of increased renal venous pressure seems to be causally related to the rise in medullary Na-K-ATPase activity.