Renal effects of furosemide in glycerol induced acute renal failure of the rat

Abstract

The renal effects of furosemide in acute renal failure of the rat were studied using clearance and micropuncture techniques. Acute renal failure was induced by an intramuscular injection of 50% glycerol (10 ml/kg). Functional impairement of the glycerol treated animals consisted of a decrease in urinary sodium excretion, renal blood flow, total kidney GFR and effective filtration pressure of superficial nephrons. Effective filtration pressure was calculated from proximal free flow and stop flow pressure measurements. In contrast to control animals furosemide did not increase urine volume during acute renal failure due to a marked fall in GFR. Renal blood flow, as measured by an electromagnetic flowmeter, also decreased after furosemide in glycerol treated rats and increased in control animals. Furosemide reduced effective filtration pressure during acute renal failure to almost zero, whereas in control animals effective filtration pressure virtually remained constant.