1. The aim of this study was to determine whether the urinary excretory function of the contralateral kidney is essential for angiotensin dependency in two-kidney, one-clip renal hypertensive rats. Ureteric ligation was used to abolish excretion from the contralateral kidney.
2. Plasma renin activity (PRA), renal renin content (RRC) and the response of blood pressure to captopril were examined.
3. The increase of blood pressure produced by the application of a clip to one renal artery was slightly accelerated by the ureteral ligation of the contralateral kidney.
4. Ureteral ligation of the contralateral kidney did not alter the response to a single oral administration of captopril. PRA and RRC of both kidneys were not different between the ureteral ligated group and the group without ureteric ligation. The falls in blood pressure produced by captopril correlated with PRA in the two groups.
5. These results suggest that the excretory function of the contralateral kidney is not essential for angiotensin dependency in the two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rat model.
