Changes in Plasma Renin Activity Produced by Infusions of Dextran and Dextrose

Abstract

The hypothesis that changes in plasma volume determine renin secretion has been tested by measurement, in normal human subjects, of plasma renin activity after intravenous infusion of dextran, after intravenous infusion of dextrose, and after oral administration of a thiazide diuretic. In these experiments a fall in haematocrit was accompanied by a fall in plasma renin activity and a rise in haematocrit by a rise in plasma renin activity.