Diuretic effect of NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester in the rat

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Abstract
Intravenous infusion of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, l-NAME (10 μg kg−1 min−1), to anaesthetized rats produced a diuresis and natriuresis. By contrast, infusion of the same dose of NG-nitro-d-arginine methyl ester had no effect on either urine output or sodium excretion. The effects of l-NAME were first evident 120 min after the start of infusion and by 170 min a fivefold increase in urine volume and sodium excretion was recorded. l-NAME also produced a transient fall in inulin clearance and a persistent decline in renal blood flow. These renal effects of l-NAME were associated with a gradual elevation of mean arterial blood pressure, although this only attained statistical significance, in comparison with saline-infused animals, 170 min after the start of infusion. The findings indicate the diuresis and natriuresis evoked by l-NAME in the rat is a result of a direct tubular action together with a pressure diuresis.