The influence of renal sympathetic nerves on renal hemodynamic and renin responses during hypercapnia in dogs.

Studies were conducted in anesthetized dogs to examine the influence of the renal sympathetic nerves on renal hemodynamic and renin responses during controlled hypercapnia. The dogs were subjected to unilateral denervation and tested for their responses to hypercapnia induced by inhalation of 15% CO2 in air. Simultaneous measurements of the responses from both the denervated and innervated kidneys allowed an assessment of the influence of the renal nerves on the responses during acute hypercapnia. The data indicate that reductions in renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate and increases in renin of the renal vein during respiratory acidosis are dependent, in part, on the presence of intact renal nerves. Other factors, however, are probably also present.