Abstract

The participation of the peripheral nervous system in the renal response to an acute ethanol administration was investigated in dogs. The animals received water or ethanol (3 g/kg), with and without 2 days pretreatment with reserpine. Each group was examined 18 hours after the water or ethanol administration. In comparison to water controls, both reserpine and ethanol produced similar increases with respect to renal hemodynamics. The combined treatment produced a further significant increase in effective renal plasma flow. Reserpine alone produced increases in the rates of filtration and reabsorption of sodium and chloride; ethanol and reserpine-ethanol treatments produced further increases but did not alter the excretory rates. Although all three treatments produced increases in the rate of filtration of potassium, only ethanol and reserpine-ethanol treatments increased the excretory rate. Magnesium excretion was decreased by reserpine and reserpine-ethanol in comparison to water and ethanol, respectively; but calcium excretion was elevated in all the treatment groups. Zinc excretion was increased in the ethanol group. The results suggest that the secondary action of ethanol to produce release and possible depletion of peripheral catecholamine stores is not primarily involved with its renal effects, except in the case of magnesium and zinc metabolism.