Role of renal nerve in cardioprotection provided by renal ischemic preconditioning in anesthetized rabbits.

The effects of renal ischemic preconditioning (RIP) on ischemia-reperfused myocardium were examined in the urethane-anesthetized rabbit to determine whether RIP may provide cardioprotection and to observe the role of the renal nerve in such condition. The results obtained are as follows: (1) During 45 min myocardial ischemia and subsequent 180 min reperfusion, blood pressure, heart rate and myocardial oxygen consumption decreased progressively. Epicardial electrographic ST-segment was elevated significantly in the period of ischemia and returned to the baseline gradually in the course of reperfusion. The myocardial infarct size occupied 55.80 +/- 1.25% of the area at risk. (2) RIP significantly reduced the myocardial infarct size to 36.51 +/- 2.80% (P < 0.01), indicating the cardioprotective effect of such an intervention. (3) Renal nerve section (RNS) completely abolished the cardioprotection afforded by RIP, though RNS per se did not affect the myocardial infarct size produced by ischemia-reperfusion. (4) During 10 min renal ischemia, the averaged multi-unit discharge rate of the renal afferent was increased from 0.14 +/- 0.08 to 0.65 +/- 0.12 imp/s (P < 0.01). (5) Pretreatment with an adenosine receptor antagonist 8-phenyltheophylline (10 mg/kg) markedly attenuated the discharge rate of the renal afferent induced by transient renal ischemia, implying that adenosine released in ischemic kidney activated the renal afferent. It is suggested that activation of renal afferents by transient renal ischemia-reperfusion plays an important role in the cardioprotection afforded by RIP.