Demonstration of a Role of Physical Factors as Determinants of the Natriuretic Response to Volume Expansion*

The importance of plasma protein concentration, renal vascular resistance, and arterial pressure as mediators of the natriuretic response to volume expansion was investigated in anesthetized dogs. Saline loading depressed plasma protein concentration and increased arterial pressure but did not decrease renal vascular resistance. Restoring plasma protein concentration by infusing hyperoncotic albumin increased sodium reabsorption and decreased sodium excretion during saline loading despite simultaneous decreases in renal vascular resistance and increases in arterial pressure. Infusion of "plasma" did not depress plasma protein concentration and produced natriuresis associated with increased arterial pressure and marked decreases in renal vascular resistance. Unilateral hemodynamic natriuresis was produced before "plasma" loading by the renal arterial infusion of acetylcholine, and the subsequent infusion of "plasma" resulted in much smaller increases in sodium excretion by the vasodilated kidney than by the control kidney. If perfusion pressure to both kidneys was then reduced by aortic constriction sodium excretion by the vasodilated kidney could be reduced to preloading (vasodilated) levels without reduced glomerular filtration, despite continued natriuresis in control kidneys which underwent vasodilatation in response to the infusion of plasma. Infusion of equilibrated whole blood did not alter plasma protein concentration or the hematocrit, and renal vascular resistance did not decrease. Sodium excretion was increased minimally or not at all by the infusion of blood despite increased arterial pressure and glomerular filtration. However, in kidneys vasodilated before infusing blood sodium excretion increased in response to the infusion in association with increased arterial pressure. This increased excretion of sodium by vasodilated kidneys during infusion of blood could be abolished by reducing perfusion pressure to the preloading level. These observations indicate that changes in plasma oncotic pressure, renal vascular resistance, and arterial pressure either alone or in combination are important variables determining the natriuretic response to volume expansion, and that the relative importance of each of these factors depends on the manner in which volume is expanded (viz., the infusion of saline, plasma, or blood).