EXTRAHEPATIC AND EXTRARENAL RENIN INACTIVATION IN THE DOG

Abstract

SUMMARY It was demonstrated previously that renin disappears quickly from the circulation after nephrectomy in the hepatectomized dog. In the present study the plasma renin concentration (PRC) was measured in the efferent and afferent blood vessels of several vascular beds (pulmonary circulation, splanchnic region, spleen, both inferior limbs and pelvis, head) in the anhepatic and in the anhepatic and anephric dog in order to investigate extrarenal and extrahepatic renin inactivation. However, no significant arteriovenous differences in PRC could be traced. The blood of these dogs kept in vitro at 37 °C in a glass container showed no decline in PRC within 3 h of removal. Therefore no specific extrahepatic and extrarenal renin-inactivating mechanism was found which could explain the rapid disappearance of renin from the blood in vivo in the anhepatic and anephric dog.