Feeding-induced increase in urinary dopamine excretion is independent of renal innervation and sodium intake

Abstract

Food intake increases urinary dopamine excretion. To investigate the role of renal nerve activity in this renal response to feeding, we studied urinary dopamine excretion after chronic bilateral renal denervation (DNX, n = 8) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Controls were sham operated (CON, n = 6). In a paired crossover design, animals were studied both in fed and fasted state. Time course measurements of renal tissue norepinephrine (NE) content in a third group of DNX rats showed a decrease by 90% not earlier than 18 h post-DNX, remaining to be reduced to this level until day 11. Renal NE content in DNX animals was measured at the end of the study to confirm complete denervation. In 24-h urine, collected from fed and fasted conscious CON and DNX rats in metabolic cages, concentrations of dopamine and sodium were measured during two different sodium intake regimens, i.e., tap water and 1 g/dl NaCl as drinking water. No influence of renal innervation on urinary dopamine could be observed in fed and fasted animals. The marked changes in urinary volume and sodium output due to the different sodium regimens were not paralleled by urinary dopamine excretion. However, urinary dopamine was increased 2.1- to 2.4-fold (P < 0.01) because of feeding in all groups, independent of sodium balance and renal innervation. We conclude that in conscious rats both basal urinary dopamine excretion and its marked increase in response to feeding are independent of sodium balance and of renal nerve activity.