THE RENAL ACTIONS OF MALACHITE GREEN, A DIURETIC DYE

¹ Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Malachite green, a cationic triphenylmethane dye, induced a prompt and marked unilateral increase of excretion of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, phosphate and water when infused into one renal artery of the dog. The dye acted directly on the renal tubule since GFR and ERPF decreased in the infused kidney. The hemodynamic changes were interpreted as a direct vasoconstrictive response of renal arterioles to the dye. The dye also induced diuresis and saliuresis when injected intravenously. Both GFR and ERPF increased, suggesting that the dye exerted some additional systemic action which indirectly affected renal hemodynamics.