Metabolism of Renal Cortex in Nephrotic Syndrome of Rats.

Abstract

The oxygen uptake of renal cortex slices of 29 control rats and 42 animals in whom the neprhotic syndrome had been induced by the intraven. injn. of nephrotoxic sera was studied. In Krebs-Ringer soln., without added substrates, the avg. oxygen uptake of cortex slices of nephrotic rats did not differ from that of the controls. Addition of glucose or of fructose resulted invariably in an increase in the oxygen uptake in the control slices. No consistent increase after addition of these 2 hexoses was noted when the kidney slices were obtained from nephrotic rats. The increase in oxygen uptake of nephrotic slices produced by lactate, succinate, glutamate, acetoacetate and butyrate was equal to or only slightly less than in the corresponding control expts. Racemic alanine stimulated the oxygen uptake of the slices to a lesser degree in the nephrotic group. Since oxidation of lactate, of succinate, and of glutamate proceeded at a normal rate, the inability of glucose and fructose to raise the oxygen uptake of nephrotic kidney slices cannot be ascribed to an inhibition of the cytochrome system or of the enzymes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle.