Renal function changes during preoptic-anterior hypothalamic heating in the rabbit

Abstract

Thermoregulatory reactions evoked by selective preoptic-anterior hypothalamic (PO/AH) heating in conscious rabbits were associated with significant changes in renal function. Urine flow rate decreased from a control value of 0.92 +/- (S.E.) 0.08 to 0.47 +/- 0.07 ml/min after 10-20 min of heating, urine osmolality increased from 273 +/- 34 to 417 +/- 46 Osm/kg H2O, and free water clearance per 100 ml GFR decreased from 1.11 +/- 0.46 to -0.50 +/- 0.23 ml/min. These changes were followed by a gradual recovery despite continued heating. Clearances of exogenous creatinine and p-aminohippurate fell transiently during the first 10 min of heating and then returned to normal. Plasma antidiuretic activity (ADA) measured by rat bioassay increased regularly and markedly during PO/AH heating but was poorly correlated with changes in urine concentration. Moreover, a similar increase in plasma ADA observed with selective heating of a different brain area (supraoptic nucleus) never produced urine concentration or other renal changes. This suggests that a large and variable fraction of ADA appearing in rabbit blood in response to thermal stimuli was not identical with antidiuretic hormone. Therefore, the causal relationship of ADH release and antidiuresis associated with thermoregulatory reactions could not be clearly demonstrated. The physiological role of renal water conservation would be to compensate for extrarenal water loss related to thermal sweating or panting.