Head-down tilt and restraint on renal function and glomerular dynamics in the rat

A model utilizing 25 degree head-down tilt (HDT) and incorporated with chronic catheterization and renal micropuncture techniques in rats was employed to study alterations in renal function induced by HDT. Renal function and extracellular volume measurements were performed after 24 h, 4 days, and 7 days of HDT in conscious rats and compared with their own control measurements and to nontilted but similarly restrained rats. After 24 h HDT, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) increased 19 +/- 8% and renal plasma flow (RPF) increased 18 +/- 8% with increases in urine flow rate, Na+, and K+ excretion in conscious rats. These increases after 24 h were associated with an increase in extracellular volume of 16 +/- 3% (P less than 0.01). In the nontilted controls, there was a decrease in extracellular volume after 24 h of suspension. After 7 days of HDT, GFR was decreased by 7 +/- 1% (P less than 0.01), but RPF and extracellular fluid volume were not different from control values. However, RPF and GFR increased in the nontilted rats after 7 days. After 7 days of HDT renal micropuncture studies demonstrated that single-nephron filtration rate was also decreased from 43 +/- 2 to 31 +/- 3 nl/min (P less than 0.05) due solely to reductions in the glomerular ultrafiltration coefficient (0.11 +/- 0.01 to 0.07 +/- 0.01 nl.s-1 X mmHg-1, P less than 0.05). There was a dissociation between GFR and water and Na+ excretion at days 4 and 7 of HDT not observed in the nontilt restraint controls.