American journal of physiology. Renal physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. · Oct 2000
Early polyuria and urinary concentrating defect in potassium deprivation.
The time course of the onset of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and its relationship to aquaporin-2 (AQP2) expression in K(+) deprivation (KD) remains unknown. Rats were fed a K(+)-free diet and killed after 12 h, 1, 2, 3, 6, or 21 days. Serum K(+) concentration was decreased only after, but not before, 3 days of a K(+)-free diet. ⋯ Northern blot analysis showed that AQP2 mRNA decreased as early as 12 h of KD in both cortex (P < 0.02) and outer medulla (P < 0.01) and remained suppressed afterward. In conclusion, the urinary concentrating defect in KD is an early event and precedes the onset of hypokalemia. These studies further suggest that the very early urinary concentrating defect in KD (after 12 but before 24 h) results primarily from the suppression of cortical AQP2, whereas the later onset of a urinary concentrating defect (after 24 h) also involves a downregulation of medullary AQP2.