Effects of indomethacin on furosemide induced renal prostaglandin synthesis and action in man

We had previously shown that the early increment in plasma renin activity occurring within ten minutes of intravenous furosemide is accompanied by an increase in urine 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) the hydrolysis product of prostacyclin. Renal prostacyclin and thromboxane A2 synthesis are apparently limited to the cortex. To assess whether indomethacin would inhibit renal cortical eicosanoid synthesis and whether such reduction correlated with reduced early renin release, we assessed responses to intravenous furosemide (0.5 mg/kg) before and after indomethacin (150 mg/day for seven days) in ten normal male volunteers. Indomethacin did not change blood pressure but increased weight slightly (79.7 +/- 2.5 kg to 80.4 +/- 2.4 kg, p less than 0.05). Serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2), a measure of platelet thromboxane A2 production, was profoundly depressed (142 +/- 29 ng/ml to 4.8 +/- 1.6 ng/ml, p less than 0.001). Neither diuresis nor natriuresis were changed by indomethacin but potassium excretion was reduced (33 +/- 4 mmol/4 hr to 27 +/- 3 mmol/4 hr, p less than 0.05). Basal as well as furosemide stimulated plasma renin activity (at 10, 30 and 240 minutes) was reduced, as well as the transient increase in excretion rates of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and TXB2. We conclude that the reduction in furosemide stimulated renin release by indomethacin is due to renal cyclo-oxygenase inhibition which is reflected in decreased excretion rates of hydrolysis products of renal eicosanoids.     

Effect of cyclooxygenase inhibition on the pulmonary vasodilator response to furosemide

Furosemide is a potent vasodilator of the systemic arterial and venous systems. The mechanism of vasodilatation, however, remains unclear. We investigated the vasodilatory effect of furosemide and its relation to endogenous prostaglandins (PGs). In the isolated canine lung lobe, furosemide significantly decreased mean pulmonary artery pressure. This effect was inhibited by indomethacin. Furosemide also attenuated the pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to the endoperoxide analog U46619 and PGF2 alpha. The pulmonary pressor response to a submaximal constrictor dose of arachidonic acid was significantly enhanced by furosemide, however, the pressor response to a maximal constrictor dose of arachidonic acid was attenuated, although not significantly. In animals pretreated with indomethacin, furosemide had no effect on the vascular response to PGF2 alpha, but the response to U46619 was significantly increased. Prostacyclin reduced pulmonary perfusion pressure and inhibited the pressor response to PGF2 alpha and U46619. Furosemide failed to alter inactivation of PGE2 on pulmonary lobe transit. We conclude that: 1) the vasodilatory activity of furosemide is mediated by increased production and not decreased metabolism of an endogenous cyclooxygenase product; 2) the effect of prostacyclin on vascular reactivity is similar to that of furosemide; and 3) local formation of prostacyclin by vascular tissue most likely mediates the vascular activity of furosemide.     

The effect of indomethacin and other anti-inflammatory drugs on the renin-angiotensin system.

The administration of two different doses of indomethacin, 9 and 18 mg/kg, to two different groups of rabbits was followed 6 h later by a significant decrease in plasma renin activity, and these levels were not increased by hemorrhage. The administration of 2 mg/kg of indomethacin did not alter the basal levels of plasma renin activity, but it was effective in diminishing the peripheral increase of renin produced by hemorrhage. Similar effects were obtained in other groups of rabbits treated with 9 mg/kg of meclofenamate or 18 mg or aspirin. The lowering effect of indomethacin on plasma renin activity is not specifically related to hemorrhage because it also prevented the increase in plasma renin activity elicited by 5 mg/kg of furosemide. Further studies showed that indomethacin did not exert any significant effect in vivo on the plasma level of renin substrate or on the generation of angiotensin from normal plasma by exogenous renin. And indomethacin did not interfere with the binding capacity of anti-angiotensin I for angiotensin I in the radioimmunoassay reaction or with the in vitro formation of angiotensin from hog renin-nephrectomized rabbit plasma reaction. The results thus indicate that the lowering effect of indomethacin on plasma renin activity is due to the interference with renal renin release. That this effect may be related to the blockade of prostaglandin synthesis is suggested by the similar effect exhibited by other blockers of prostaglandin synthesis.     

Sulindac is not renal sparing in man

We investigated the claimed renal-sparing effect of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor sulindac. Fifteen normal women following a diet of 50 mEq salt a day were randomly assigned to 5 days of either placebo, sulindac, 200 mg b.i.d., or indomethacin, 25 mg q.i.d., after first serving as their own controls. Renal effects were assessed by the excretion rate of prostaglandin (PG) E2 (an index of renal PG synthesis), sodium balance, plasma renin activity (PRA), and the response to furosemide. Systemic effects were assessed by collagen-induced platelet aggregation and thromboxane B2 formation and by the urinary excretion of a systemically formed metabolite of PGF2 alpha (PGF-M). Both sulindac and indomethacin resulted in a positive sodium balance and a reduction in 24-hour urinary PGE2 excretion (range -49% to -86%). Basal PRA was decreased by indomethacin only, but the increases in PRA and in urinary PGE2 excretion in response to furosemide were inhibited by both sulindac and indomethacin. Sulindac reduced the natriuresis induced by furosemide, and indomethacin reduced the rise in inulin clearance after furosemide. Thus the two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had similar effects on the kidney. Indomethacin had a greater effect than sulindac on the inhibition of collagen-induced platelet aggregation and thromboxane synthesis and the two drugs had equivalent effects on the reduction of PGF-M excretion. Peak plasma drug concentration of indomethacin (1.9 +/- 0.4 microgram/ml) and sulindac sulfide (7.7 +/- 1.9 microgram/ml) were those associated with clinical efficacy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The antihypertensive efficacy of hydrochlorothiazide is not prostacyclin dependent

We tested the hypothesis that vascular prostacyclin synthesis is stimulated by hydrochlorothiazide and could account for some of the drug's antihypertensive effect. We studied 13 patients with mild essential hypertension in a randomized, double-blind design to assess the effects of indomethacin on hydrochlorothiazide's ability to lower blood pressure, alter body weight, stimulate plasma renin activity, and modulate vascular prostacyclin biosynthesis as assessed by the urinary excretion of the major enzymatically produced metabolite of prostacyclin, 2,3-dinor-6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (PGF1 alpha), measured by GC/MS. Administration of hydrochlorothiazide, 50 mg daily for 2 weeks, was associated with a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in both supine (systolic, 148 +/- 3 to 136 +/- 3 mm Hg; diastolic, 97 +/- 2 to 94 +/- 3 mm Hg) and upright (systolic, 151 +/- 4 to 131 +/- 2 mm Hg; diastolic, 103 +/- 2 to 97 +/- 3 mm Hg) positions. Hydrochlorothiazide administration resulted in a 1 kg weight loss and stimulation of plasma renin activity from 1.7 +/- 0.4 to 5.3 +/- 1.1 ng angiotensin I/ml/hr. However, the urinary excretion of 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1 alpha was unchanged after administration of hydrochlorothiazide (86 +/- 13/ng/gm creatinine during placebo, 74 +/- 13 ng/gm during week 1 of hydrochlorothiazide, and 70 +/- 9 ng/gm during week 2 of the drug). Administration of indomethacin, 50 mg twice a day, resulted in greater than 60% inhibition of 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1 alpha excretion but did not affect the antihypertensive response to hydrochlorothiazide. Indomethacin did not oppose the diuretic effect of hydrochlorothiazide as assessed by weight loss but did attenuate the rise in plasma renin activity. Our data demonstrate that the blood pressure-lowering effect of a thiazide diuretic does not require enhanced prostacyclin synthesis and the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin does not antagonize the antihypertensive efficacy of hydrochlorothiazide.     

Interaction between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and loop diuretics: modulation by sodium balance

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to decrease the natriuretic response to loop diuretics in many but not all studies. Recently, indomethacin was shown not to affect the natriuretic response to the new loop diuretic torasemide in healthy volunteers. Inasmuch as sodium balance has been reported to modify the effect of indomethacin on furosemide-induced natriuresis in dogs, we investigated the effect of indomethacin, under two sodium balances (50 and 150 mEq/day), on the natriuretic response to two doses of torasemide in six healthy volunteers. Under the low sodium diet, indomethacin reduced the natriuretic response to torasemide like that to furosemide. In contrast, on the normal sodium diet, indomethacin failed to affect the natriuretic response to torasemide. Indomethacin reduced base-line and diuretic-induced increase in plasma renin activity, plasma angiotensin II levels and urinary excretion of prostaglandin 6-keto F1 alpha to a similar extent under the two sodium diets. Our data show that indomethacin reduces the natriuretic response to torasemide in humans. Dietary sodium restriction is a significant determinant of the interaction between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and loop diuretics in healthy volunteers, presumably because it allows loop diuretics to provoke an increase in renal blood flow which participates in their natriuretic action and is blocked by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.     

Diuretic and non-diuretic actions of furosemide: effects of probenecid.

Furosemide causes not only natriuresis, but a rapid (5-10 min) increase in plasma renin activity. The latter has been attributed both to the release of eicosanoids from renal blood vessels and to changes in sodium delivery to the macula densa. Drugs like indomethacin abolish the renin increment and could potentially affect both mechanisms: they inhibit cyclooxygenase but could also compete with furosemide for transport into the tubular lumen, reducing furosemide concentration at its site of action. We studied the effects of probenecid, a weak acid without cyclooxygenase activity, on the responses to furosemide in 20 healthy young men. Each received placebo and low (1000 mg/d) or high (2000 mg/d) doses of probenecid for one week in double-blind, randomized trials, crossover fashion. One hour after the last dose, all participants were given furosemide 0.5 mg/kg intravenously. Probenecid reduced serum uric acid in a dose-dependent manner but did not change platelet thromboxane B2 production. Similarly, there was no change in urine excretion rates of thromboxane B2 or 6ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha, or in baseline or stimulated plasma renin activity. The total natriuresis in 4 h was also unchanged. By contrast, the sodium excretion rate in the first 30 min was reduced after both probenecid regimens while that of later periods was increased. These findings are consistent with the proposed effect of probenecid as reducing furosemide secretion in the proximal tubule, which reduces its concentration at the lumenal surface of the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop, but also prevents its excretion from the body.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Renal function and tubular transport effects of sulindac and naproxen in chronic heart failure

Renal function and excretion of water, salt, and the prostacyclin hydration product (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) were evaluated in 10 furosemide-treated patients with well-controlled congestive heart failure. Four doses of sulindac (200 mg b.i.d.) and naproxen (500 mg b.i.d.) were given every 12 hours in a double-blind crossover design. Naproxen significantly decreased the urinary excretion of water (19%), sodium (26%), chloride (26%), and 6-keto PGF1 alpha (76%) and decreased osmolal clearance (18%). No significant changes in these functions were observed in the patients receiving sulindac. Plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone, freewater clearance, or clearance of furosemide did not change significantly with either treatment. Although the basal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) were reduced, these patients with cardiac disease, with normal serum sodium concentration, did not have any further reduction of GFR or RPF despite naproxen-induced inhibition of renal prostacyclin synthesis. It is concluded that renal prostaglandins contribute to the natriuretic effect of oral furosemide in patients with compensated congestive heart failure. In this clinical setting, GFR and RPF are not critically dependent on intact renal PGI2 synthesis. The lack of effect on renal prostaglandin synthesis and the renal response to oral furosemide supports the concept of a renal sparing effect of sulindac.     

Response of urinary angiotensin to challenges of the renin-angiotensin system

Angiotensin has an intrarenal action which may not parallel its action in the general circulation. We investigated whether the urinary excretion rates of angiotensin I and II (UV-AI, UV-AII) can be used as a marker of renal production. We therefore measured UV-AI, UV-AII, plasma angiotensin I and II (PAI, PAII), and plasma renin activity (PRA) in healthy subjects under conditions influencing the renin-angiotensin system: captopril injection (n = 7), enalapril treatment (n = 9), furosemide infusion on high and low sodium intake (n = 6), indomethacin treatment (n = 8), and head-out water immersion (three sodium intakes). After captopril (acute) and enalapril (chronic), PAI and PRA increased, PAII decreased, but neither UV-AI nor UV-AII changed. During furosemide infusion, PAI, PAII, PRA, as well as UV-AI and UV-AII increased. During indomethacin treatment, PAI, PAII, and PRA decreased, whereas UV-AI and UV-AII did not change consistently. Sodium restriction increased PAI, PAII, and PRA, but did not alter UV-AI and UV-AII. Head-out immersion decreased PAI, PAII, and PRA, but did not change UV-AI and UV-AII. The relative constancy of the urinary AI and AII excretion rates makes it doubtful whether urinary angiotensins reflect changes of renal angiotensin production.     

Evidence for a Direct Stimulatory Effect of Prostacyclin on Renin Release in Man

The objectives of this investigation were: (a) to characterize the time and dose dependence of the effects of prostacyclin (PGI₂) on renin release in healthy men; (b) to define whether PGI₂-induced renin release is secondary to hemodynamic changes; (c) to determine the plasma and urine concentrations of 6-keto-PGF_1α (the stable breakdown product of PGI₂) associated with renin release induced by exogenous or pharmacologically enhanced endogenous PGI₂. Intravenous PGI₂ or 6-keto-PGF_1α infusions at nominal rates of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 ng/kg per min were performed in each of six normal human subjects; in three of them, PGI₂ infusion was repeated after β-adrenergic blockade and cyclooxygenase inhibition. PGI₂, but not 6-keto-PGF_1α, caused a time- and dose-dependent increase of plasma renin activity, which reached statistical significance at 5.0 ng/kg per min and was still significantly elevated 30 min after discontinuing the infusion. Although combined propranolol and indomethacin treatment significantly enhanced the hypotensive effects of infused PGI₂, it did not modify the dose-related pattern of PGI₂-induced renin release.     

Caffeine potentiates the renin response to furosemide in rats. Evidence for a regulatory role of endogenous adenosine

Adenosine is a potent inhibitor of renin release. It has therefore been suggested that endogenous adenosine may play a role in the regulation of renin release. Sodium-chloride transport at the level of the macula densa has been proposed as the primary source of endogenous adenosine. Evidence to support a modulatory role of adenosine on renin release in vivo is, however, limited. We therefore wanted to determine if: 1) adenosine modulates furosemide-induced renin release and 2) sodium-chloride reabsorption at the macula densa is essential for adenosine actions. To test these hypotheses, three groups of rats were pretreated either with saline or the adenosine receptor antagonists caffeine or 1,3-dipropyl-8-(p-sulfophenyl)xanthine (both at a dose of 30 mg/kg followed by 450 micrograms/kg/min). Rats then received furosemide (50 mg/kg i.v.). In the vehicle group, furosemide increased urinary volume, sodium and potassium excretion and increased plasma renin activity from 6 +/- 1 to 45 +/- 11 ngAl/ml/hr. Caffeine and 1,3-dipropyl-8-(p-sulfophenyl)xanthine potentiated the increase in plasma renin activity produced by furosemide (to 120 +/- 15 and 147 +/- 21 ng Al/ml/hr, respectively), whereas having no significant effects on urinary volume, sodium excretion or blood pressure. These results suggest that furosemide-induced renin release in vivo is restrained by endogenous adenosine. In as much as furosemide blocks sodium-chloride transport in the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop and the macula densa cells, it appears that under the conditions of this study sodium transport across these segments is not essential to initiate adenosine-mediated mechanisms.     

Effect of exercise and of prolonged oral administration of propranolol on haemodynamic variables, plasma renin concentration, plasma aldosterone and c-AMP

The effect of submaximal exercise upon haemodynamic and biochemical variables was investigated in healthy male subjects, aged 17-27 years, before and at the end of 2 weeks treatment with propranolol (40 mg p.o., q.i.d.). Propranolol reduced the resting blood pressure in normal subjects significantly. This effect was due to reduction of cardiac output and of systemic vascular resistance. No effect of propranolol on BP was seen during maximal exercise, since a reduced cardiac output was accompanied by an increased peripheral resistance. The reduction of cardiac output during exercise can be compensated in part by an increase in stroke volume. The sympathetic activity induced by physical exercise in normotensives increased plasma renin concentration (PRC) and plasma aldosterone (PA), and suppressed urinary excretion of c-AMP. PRC returned to basal levels after 45 min. No increase of PRC was observed after exercise in subjects treated with propranolol. Yet the increase of PA was not completely suppressed. No direct relation was demonstrated between PRC and the haemodynamic variables before or during the administration of propranolol.     

Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by indomethacin interacts with the antihypertensive effect of atenolol

The interaction of inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis by indomethacin (75 mg/day) with the antihypertensive effect of atenolol (50 mg b.i.d.) was studied in 11 untreated otherwise healthy men 35 to 45 years old with essential hypertension. Atenolol for 3 weeks decreased supine blood pressure (BP) from 157/109 mm Hg during placebo to 148/97 mm Hg. Indomethacin alone for 1 week slightly increased BP and antagonized the antihypertensive action of atenolol. Atenolol reduced plasma renin activity (PRA) to 40% but did not modify either the urinary excretion of vasodilatory PGs (PGE2 and prostacyclin measured as 6-keto-PGF1 alpha) or plasma kininogen and urine kallikrein. Indomethacin suppressed PRA to 27% and PG excretion to approximately 70% but did not markedly change plasma kininogen and urine kallikrein excretion. The decreased excretion of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, the metabolite of the main vasodilatory prostanoid prostacyclin, correlated with the increased BP measured in standing subjects. The effects of indomethacin were practically the same when given with atenolol as when given alone. We conclude that the slight increase in BP by indomethacin in essential hypertension is associated with the reduced production of vasodilatory PGs but not with alterations in activities of the renin-angiotensin or kallikrein-kinin systems.     

Unimpeded plasma renin increase after intravenous furosemide during saline replacement.

The effect on plasma renin activity of intravenous furosemide combined with saline replacement of the volume depletion was studied in twelve patients with insignificant heart disease. In ten of the patients the investigation was repeated without saline replacement. It was found that saline infusion, reducing or eliminating hemoconcentration, had no significant influence on the marked plasma renin increase. In eight of the patients the combined furosemide-saline study was performed during right-hear catheterization. Decrease in atrial pressures, known to occur within 15 min after furosemide intravenously, was virtually absent with the saline replacement. It is concluded that plasma volume reduction after intravenous furosemide is responsible for decreased filling pressures of the ventricles but not for plasma renin increase.     

The antihypertensive action of hydrochlorothiazide and renal prostacyclin

To investigate whether chronic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) therapy increases synthesis of tissue vasodilator prostaglandins (PG), we used intravenous furosemide as a standardized stimulus of renal PG synthesis before and after HCTZ dosing. Sixteen subjects with mild hypertension received placebo for 4 weeks, followed by HCTZ, 50 mg/day, and potassium chloride, 60 mmol/day, for 4 weeks. Nine subjects had decreased mean arterial pressure (-12.2 +/- 0.9 mm Hg) after HCTZ (responders), while seven others had no antihypertensive effect (nonresponders). Responders increased their excretion of the prostacyclin (PGI2) hydrolysis product 6-keto-PGF1 alpha in the first 10 minutes after furosemide, from 17.8 +/- 2.7 ng after placebo to 34.9 +/- 7.5 ng (P less than 0.05) after HCTZ, whereas nonresponders showed no such increase. These groups could not be distinguished on the basis of sex, age, or pretreatment plasma renin activity. After HCTZ dosing, responders showed evidence of increased action of PGI2 by increased plasma renin activity 10 minutes after furosemide (6.10 +/- 1.06 vs. 3.39 +/- 0.4 ng/ml/hr; P less than 0.05). Furthermore, creatinine clearance was maintained in responders (while decreasing slightly in nonresponders) despite lower blood pressure, a finding consistent with increased vasodilator effect. We conclude that an antihypertensive response to HCTZ is accompanied by an increase in renal PGI2 synthesis and action.     

Effect of furosemide on urinary kallikrein excretion in patients with essential hypertension

The effect of furosemide on urinary kallikrein excretion was studied in 10 patients with essential hypertension and 9 normal volunteer subjects. After intravenous administration of furosemide and 2 hours of upright posture, urine volume (UV), urinary sodium (UNaV) and potassium (UKV) excretion, plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and urinary kallikrein markedly increased. However, the augmentation of urinary kallikrein in patients with essential hypertension (1.50 +/- 0.19 EU/2 hr) was less remarkable than that in normal subjects (2.33 +/- 0.24 EU/2 hr), although the same degrees of response were observed in PRA and PAC. The increments of UV, UNaV and UKV in patients with essential hypertension were also significantly lower than in normal subjects. Significant positive relations were found between urinary kallikrein and UV or UNaV in both hypertensive and normotensive groups, but there was no such correlation before fursemide administration. It is likely that diuresis and natriuresis induced by furosemide are somehow associated with an increase in urinary kallikrein excretion. Blunted response of urinary kallikrein in essential hypertension may suggest an abnormality in the renal kallikrein-kinin system in this disease.     

Canrenoate reversal of inhibitory effects of digoxin on basal and furosemide-stimulated renin secretion

Changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) were monitored in six mildly hypertensive men after intravenous doses, in seven separate experiments, of placebo, digoxin, potassium canrenoate, potassium canrenoate with digoxin, furosemide, furosemide with digoxin, and potassium canrenoate with furosemide and digoxin. Potassium canrenoate has been used as a rapid source of canrenone, which has been recently shown to be a competitive antagonist of ouabain at its Na-K-ATPase receptor site. Potassium canrenoate infusion reversed the hyporeninemic effect of digoxin. This result has been taken as evidence that: (1) antialdosteronic drugs can also reverse digoxin effects at extracardiac level and (2) the Na-K-ATPase system is involved in the renin secretory mechanism. A seemingly identical reversal of the hyporeninemic effect of digoxin was induced by furosemide, which, when given alone, stimulated renin secretion. The simultaneous administration of potassium canrenoate, digoxin, and furosemide induced an increase in PRA on the same order as that after furosemide alone. This result indicates that furosemide stimulates renin release by affecting a biochemical system other than that affected by digoxin.     

Effect of propranolol therapy on aldosterone responses to angiotensin II and adrenocorticotropic hormone in essential hypertension

1. The plasma aldosterone responses to exogenous angiotensin II and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were studied before and after 1 month of propranolol therapy (120-240 mg/day) in eight patients with essential hypertension. 2. Basal supine plasma renin activity was decreased (P less than 0.001) after propranolol, whereas plasma aldosterone was unchanged. After 3 h of upright posture the increases in both plasma renin activity and aldosterone were decreased (P less than 0.05) after propranolol. 3. Plasma aldosterone responses to exogenous angiotensin II and ACTH were not significantly different after propranolol. Serum and urinary electrolytes and plasma cortisol were also unaffected by propranolol therapy. 4. It is concluded that changes in adrenal sensitivity are not responsible for maintaining unchanged supine plasma aldosterone concentrations after beta-adrenoceptor antagonism in essential hypertension.     

Bartter's Syndrome--Observations on the Pathophysiology

The pathophysiology of Barter's syndrome affecting seven adultshas been investigated. (1) Saralasin infusion caused a fallhi blood pressure in all patients, suggesting that angiotensinwas contributing to the maintenance of blood pressure. (2) Followinga water load, urinary chloride concentrations and osraolalitywere both low. No positive evidence for a defect in chloridereabsorption hi the ascending limb of the loop of Henle wasobtained, (3) The effect of high and low dietary sodium on plasmasodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, renln activity, aldosterone,6-keto-PGF_ia, thromboxane B₂, urinary kalltkrein, platelet functionand erythrocyte membrane cation transport were studied. A varietyof responses was observed. Sodium restriction increased (orsodium loading decreased), plasma renin activity, aldosterone,6-keto-PGF_ia, urinary kallikrein and the platelet aggregationabnormality in some, but not all, individuals. (4) Treatmentwith indomethacin was undertaken in all patients and studiedin detail in one patient There was weight gain, increase inplasma sodium and potassium, decrease in capillary pH, positivesodium and potassium balance, and decrease in plasma renin activity,6-keto-PGF_ia, thromboxane B₂ and urinary kallikrein. Hypomagnesaemiaand excessive urinary magnesium loss persisted unchanged. (5)A variety of abnormalities of erythrocyte membrane cation transportwas found and these persisted during high- and low-sodium, andhigh-potassium Intakes; and during treatment with indomethacin,despite correction of intracellular sodium and potassium concentrations. Barter's syndrome is associated with an abnormality of erythrocytemembrane sodium and potassium transport Many of the other metabolicabnormalities may be the consequence of potassium and sodiumdepletion.     

Endogenous bradykinin and the renin and pressor responses to furosemide in humans

In humans, bradykinin contributes to the acute renin response after ACE inhibition. To further explore the role of endogenous bradykinin in human renin regulation, we determined the effect of HOE 140, a specific bradykinin B(2) receptor antagonist, on the renin response to 0.5 mg/kg i.v. furosemide in a randomized, single blind, crossover design study of 10 healthy, salt-replete volunteers. HOE 140 did not affect basal plasma renin activity, aldosterone, mean arterial pressure, or heart rate. Furosemide administration increased plasma renin activity from 1.0 +/- 0.2 to 4.5 +/- 1.2 ng of angiotensin I/ml/h and there was no effect of HOE 140 (from 1.1 +/- 0.2 to 3.9 +/- 0.8 ng of angiotensin I/ml/h). Similarly, there was no effect of HOE 140 on the diuretic response to furosemide. Mean arterial pressure increased in response to furosemide after HOE 140 (82 +/- 2 to 94 +/- 2 mm Hg), but not after vehicle (81 +/- 3 to 85 +/- 2 mm Hg), whereas heart rate was unchanged. In conclusion, activation of the B(2) receptor by endogenous bradykinin does not contribute to the renin response to acute furosemide treatment in humans. However, bradykinin may contribute to blood pressure regulation under conditions in which the renin-angiotensin system is stimulated.