Renorenal reflexes in the rat elicited upon stimulation of renal chemoreceptors

Abstract

The effects of renal ischemia and backflow of non-diuretic urine into the renal pelvis on renal efferent sympathetic postganglionic nerve activity, femoral arterial pressure and heart rate were studied to verify whether stimulation of renal chemoreceptors elicits autonomic reflexes. In rats with intact spinal cord or spinal cord sectioned at the T6 level a brief activation of renal chemoreceptors produced excitatory ipsilateral and contralateral renorenal reflexes, whereas it only slightly and insignificantly altered arterial pressure and heart rate. These results indicate that stimulation of renal chemoreceptors elicits renorenal excitatory reflexes which might be integrated both at spinal and supraspinal levels.