Role of the renal nerves in the natriuretic response to vasopressin infusion

The present study was designed to determine whether renal nerves influence the natriuretic response to an infusion of vasopressin. Experiments were performed on anaesthetized rats in which the response to vasopressin of the innervated kidney was compared with that of the contralateral surgically denervated kidney. During the vasopressin infusion the natriuretic effect was evident in both kidneys and was proportionally greater in the innervated kidney than in the denervated one. Efferent renal nerve activity, recorded in three additional animals, decreased during the vasopressin infusion. Our data demonstrate that the natriuretic response of the innervated kidney is larger than that of the denervated kidney, probably because of an associated decrease in efferent renal nerve activity.