Responsiveness of afferent renal nerve units in renovascular hypertension in rats

Previous data suggest that renal afferent nerve activity is increased in hypertension exerting sympathoexcitatory effects. Hence, we wanted to test the hypothesis that in renovascular hypertension, the activity of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons with afferent projections from the kidneys is augmented depending on the degree of intrarenal inflammation. For comparison, a nonhypertensive model of mesangioproliferative nephritis was investigated. Renovascular hypertension (2-kidney, 1-clip [2K1C]) was induced by unilateral clipping of the left renal artery and mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (anti-Thy1.1) by IV injection of a 1.75-mg/kg BW OX-7 antibody. Neuronal labeling (dicarbocyanine dye [DiI]) in all rats allowed identification of renal afferent dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. A current clamp was used to characterize neurons as tonic (sustained action potential [AP] firing) or phasic (1–4 AP) upon stimulation by current injection. All kidneys were investigated using standard morphological techniques. DRG neurons exhibited less often tonic response if in vivo axonal input from clipped kidneys was received (30.4% vs. 61.2% control, p < 0.05). However, if the nerves to the left clipped kidneys were cut 7 days prior to investigation, the number of tonic renal neurons completely recovered to well above control levels. Interestingly, electrophysiological properties of neurons that had in vivo axons from the right non-clipped kidneys were not distinguishable from controls. Renal DRG neurons from nephritic rats also showed less often tonic activity upon current injection (43.4% vs. 64.8% control, p < 0.05). Putative sympathoexcitatory and impaired sympathoinhibitory renal afferent nerve fibers probably contribute to increased sympathetic activity in 2K1C hypertension. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00424-021-02591-6.