Hormonal mediators of amino acid-induced glomerular hyperfiltration in humans

Am J Physiol. 1991 Jun;260(6 Pt 2):F787-92. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.1991.260.6.F787.

Abstract

It has been speculated that glucoregulatory hormones and/or renal autacoids mediate the increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) induced by the administration of protein or amino acids. Because infusion of a mixture of amino acids (AA mix), but not of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) alone, increases GFR, we performed a crossover study in seven normal subjects in which the glomerular hemodynamic effects of separate 3-h infusions of these two amino acid solutions were compared with changes in potential mediators of this response, i.e., glucoregulatory hormones, renin, vasodilatory prostaglandins (PGs), and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP). As expected, infusion of the AA mix but not BCAA resulted in a prompt and sustained increase in GFR. Both infusions caused a significant increase in plasma insulin, whereas glucagon increased only with the AA mix. Plasma growth hormone was initially unchanged with both infusions but increased after 2 h of BCAA. Neither infusion significantly increased the urinary excretion of PGE2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, or cGMP. Both infusions resulted in a small but significant decrease in plasma renin activity. Infusion of BCAA but not the AA mix resulted in a progressive decrease in plasma glucose and potassium concentrations and an increase in renal sodium reabsorption that may have resulted from stimulation of insulin secretion that was not counterbalanced by a simultaneous increase in glucagon. Thus only changes in glucagon exhibited a significant temporal relationship with changes in GFR, lending further support to a role for glucagon as a mediator of amino acid-induced glomerular hyperfiltration.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Amino Acids / administration & dosage
  • Amino Acids / pharmacology*
  • Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / administration & dosage
  • Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / pharmacology
  • Blood Glucose / analysis
  • Cyclic GMP / physiology
  • Cyclic GMP / urine
  • Dinoprostone / physiology
  • Dinoprostone / urine
  • Glomerular Filtration Rate / drug effects*
  • Glucagon / blood
  • Growth Hormone / blood
  • Hemodynamics / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Infusions, Intravenous
  • Insulin / blood
  • Kidney / drug effects*
  • Kidney / physiology
  • Male
  • Nitric Oxide / physiology
  • Potassium / blood
  • Prostaglandins / physiology
  • Prostaglandins / urine
  • Renin / blood
  • Renin / physiology

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Amino Acids, Branched-Chain
  • Blood Glucose
  • Insulin
  • Prostaglandins
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Growth Hormone
  • Glucagon
  • Renin
  • Cyclic GMP
  • Dinoprostone
  • Potassium