Neuronal nitric oxide synthase and renin stimulation by sodium deprivation are dependent on the renal nerves

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of the renal nerves in the regulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) gene expression in normotensive rats on different sodium balance. METHODS: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six experimental groups combining three diets with different NaCl content (normal, 0.4%; low, 0.04%; or high, 4.0%), and bilateral renal denervation or sham denervation. After 7 days of dietary treatment, all rats were sacrificed and plasma renin activity (PRA) measured. The nNOS and renin messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the renal cortex were determined by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: PRA was higher in animals with low sodium diet compared with those with standard diet, while it was lower in animals with high sodium diet. Renal denervation decreased PRA in normal and low sodium groups, while it did not alter the PRA values in the high sodium group. The nNOS gene expression significantly increased in rats fed with the low sodium diet compared with the standard diet group, and it significantly decreased in rats with the high sodium diet. Renal denervation significantly reduced nNOS mRNA levels in rats receiving the low sodium diet, but did not significantly influence nNOS mRNA in normal and high sodium groups. Renin mRNA was influenced by diets and denervation in a parallel way to nNOS mRNA. CONCLUSION: The renal nerves mediate the increase of renin and nNOS mRNA during sodium restriction, while the suppression of nNOS and renin gene expression during a sodium load is independent of the presence of the renal nerves. The parallel changes in renin and nNOS mRNA during different sodium intakes suggest that nNOS can be part of the complex, and still largely unclarified, macula densa mechanism of renin regulation.