THE SALURETIC EFFECTS OF ARECOLINE HYDROCHLORIDE INFUSED INTO THE LEFT RENAL ARTERY OF DOGS

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana

The unilateral renal arterial infusion of 1 to 10 µg/kg/minute of arecoline HCl in dog renal clearance experiments produced a marked unilateral increase in excretion of sodium, chloride, and an increase in urine volume as well as tubular rejection fraction of sodium. Unilateral changes in potassium, ERPF, GFR, and free water clearance were less marked and more variable. The unilateral infusion of atropine (5 µg/kg/min) abolished the above changes.

It is postulated that arecoline has a direct muscarinic effect on the renal tubules resulting in a saluresis. The magnitude of the saluresis is not explainable solely on changes in GFR since the tubular rejection fractions of sodium and chloride were also increased. Arecoline has some direct effect on renal hemodynamics as evidenced by changes in ERPF. No effects on systemic blood pressure were observed.

Electrolyte excretion changes produced by the administration of cholinergic drugs suggest the possibility of the existence of parasympathetic nervous function in the kidneys of dogs.