The salt paradox of the early diabetic kidney is independent of renal innervation.
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is inversely and thus paradoxically related to dietary NaCl intake in rats and patients with early type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). Enhanced sensitivity of proximal reabsorption to NaCl diet inducing secondary adaptations in GFR through actions of tubuloglomerular feedback causes this salt paradox. We studied the role of renal nerves for the salt paradox in rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM since a regulatory influence of renal nerves on proximal reabsorption is well established. The left kidney (LK) was denervated before induction of STZ-DM. Subsequently, the normal diet was continued or a low NaCl diet was initiated and 1 week later animals were prepared for clearance experiments under anesthesia including ureter catheterization to measure GFR for each kidney. In diabetic rats, the right innervated as well as the left denervated kidney showed higher values for GFR and kidney weight in animals on a low versus a normal NaCl diet indicating that the salt paradox occurs independent of renal innervation. In addition, evidence is provided that the renal nerves of non-diabetic rats do not contribute to renal Na(+) retention during dietary NaCl restriction but modulate renal hemodynamics and kidney weight under these conditions.