COX-2 activity determines the level of renin expression but is dispensable for acute upregulation of renin expression in rat kidneys.

The role of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) in the control of renin is still a matter of debate, since studies with COX-2-deficient mice or with COX-2 inhibitors produced conflicting findings. Therefore, we studied the effect of the COX-2 inhibitor SC-58236 on the regulation of the renin system in adult rat kidneys. Renocortical tissue levels and urinary excretion of PGE(2) were reduced to 65 and 40% of control values, respectively, after a single gavage of SC-58236 and did not further decrease on prolonged treatment. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and renin mRNA levels began to decrease after 3 days and reached a constant level of approximately 60% of control values after 5 days of treatment. Isoproterenol or left renal artery clipping for 2 days increased PRA and renin mRNA to similar levels in both vehicle- and SC-58236-treated rats after 2 days. Pretreatment with SC-58236 for 5 days, however, reduced the absolute increase in PRA and renin mRNA levels. Notably, the relative increases were not different between vehicle- and SC-58236-treated rats. Similar findings were observed for the stimulation of the renin system by angiotensin II inhibition and low salt intake. These findings indicate that COX-2 inhibition attenuates renin secretion and renin gene expression stimulated by a variety of parameters in proportion to the lowering of basal renin activity, while it does not interfere with the different stimulatory mechanism per se. As a consequence, it appears as if COX-2 activity relevantly determines the set point of the activity of the renin system in rat kidneys.