Renin and acute circulatory renal failure in the rabbit.

Plasma renin concentration (PRC) was measured in 25 rabbits before and 6, 24, or 72 hours after subcutaneous injection of glycerol. Renal failure and tubular necrosis developed in most animals and PRC rose sixfold to a maximum at 24 hours. Small insignificant changes of PRC were present at 6 and 72 hours. None of these changes was observed in a control group of nine animals killed 24 hours after an injection of saline. The amount of renin extractable from single superficial glomeruli and from renal cortical tissue was reduced after injection of glycerol. In a second study of 11 anesthetized rabbits, renal venous PRC increased on average from 151 to 1810 units/liter following a 4-hour period of renal artery occlusion. Arterial PRC did not change significantly during this time, but the kidneys showed histological changes of acute tubular necrosis. These experiments are compatible with the suggestion that renin is involved in the pathogenesis of acute circulatory renal failure.