Altered whole kidney blood flow autoregulation in a mouse model of reduced β-ENaC

Renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation is mediated by at least two mechanisms, the fast acting myogenic response (∼5 s) and slow acting tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF; ∼25 s). Previous studies suggest epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) family proteins, β-ENaC in particular, mediate myogenic constriction in isolated renal interlobar arteries. However, it is unknown whether β-ENaC-mediated myogenic constriction contributes to RBF autoregulation in vivo. Therefore, the goal of this investigation was to determine whether the myogenic mediated RBF autoregulation is inhibited in a mouse model of reduced β-ENaC (m/m). To address this goal, we evaluated the temporal response of RBF and renal vascular resistance (RVR) to a 2-min step increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP). Pressure-induced changes in RBF and RVR at 0–5, 6–25, and 110–120 s after step increase in MAP were used to assess the contribution of myogenic and TGF mechanisms and steady-state autoregulation, respectively. The rate of the initial increase in RVR, attributed to the myogenic mechanism, was reduced by ∼50% in m/m mice, indicating the speed of the myogenic response was inhibited. Steady-state autoregulation was similar between β-ENaC +/+ and m/m mice. Although the rate of the secondary increase in RVR, attributed to TGF, was similar in β-ENaC +/+ and m/m mice, however, it occurred over a longer period (+10 s), which may have allowed TGF to compensate for a loss in myogenic autoregulation. Our findings suggest β-ENaC is an important mediator of renal myogenic constriction-mediated RBF autoregulation in vivo