1) The biochemical determination of Glutaminase I activity (Glut. I) using rabbit kidney with acute and chronic ureteric obstruction and renal ischemia, being experimentally created, as well as surgical specimen and biopsy of human kidney was performed.
2) Renal cortical Glut. I activity was found decreased to approximately 60%, medullar Glut. I activity to less than a half compared to the other healthy side one day after ligation of unilateral ureter.
Two days after ligation, however, cortical Glut. I activity increased to 1.5-3 times as much as the healthy side and medullar Glut. I activity was extremely low.
One week after ligation, some of cortical Glut. I activity had a slight increase but all medullar Glut. I activity was low.
Two weeks after ligation, cortical Glut. I activity had a definite tendency of decrease and none of them had normal or high activity.
Medullar Glut. I activity also had a definite decrease tendency.
It was interested that renal cortical and medullar Glut. I activity with infected urine in pelvis and ureter was significantly low or unmeasurable.
After bilateral ureteric ligation and unilateral ureteric ligation of solitary kidney, cortical and medullar Glut. I activity decrease was more rapid than the one of unilateral ureteric ligation of bilateral kidney.
The transient increase, seen in unilateral ligation of bilateral kidney, was not found.
3) Release of ureteric obstruction; after 3 days ligation, Glut. I activity had a significant decrease on one day after deligation and showed recovery during one and 3 weeks.
4) In experimentall hydronephrosis in various degree, successfully produced 5-17 weeks after winding celophan band around the lower part of ureter, Glut. I activity was determined.
In low degree hydronephrosis estimated by I. V. P., cortical Glut. I activity was within normal limits and medullar Glut. I activity had a slight decrease.
High degree hydronephrosis: Cortical Glut. I activity had a decrease in 2, an increase in 3 and medullar Glut. I activity a decrease in 4 with one exception.
Mannitol diuresis effect; determination of Glut. I activity and urinary ammonia excretion was performed.
The kidney with Glut. I activity which was less than 50% compared to the one of contralateral normal kidney, had remarkablly low ammonia excretion.
5) Recovery of Glut. I activity in unilateral rabbit kidney with ischemia was slow in cortex and rapid in medulla.
6) With mannitol effect, Glut. I activity had a significant decrease compared to control.
7) Acid-Base load; Ammonium chloride or sodium bicarbonate was orally administrated for 7-21 days Glut. I activity has a increase tendency in cortex and medulla.
8) Clinical cases:
In normal human kidney, Glut. I activity was higher than in medulla contrary to rabbit kidney and the value was one digit Glut. I activity higher than the one of rabbit kidney.
1) Hydronephrosis due to chronically obstructed ureter; Glut. I activity in low and moderate grade hydronephrosis was almost equal to the control, on the contrary, in high grade hydronephrosis, a remarkable Glut. I activity decrease found in 4 out of 9, normal limits in 4, abnormal increase in one, and cortical Glut. I activity decrease found in 3 out of 4.
Namely, almost a half of them had normal level of cortical Glut. I activity and even compensatory increase of cortical Glut. I activity.
2) Pyelonephritis and nephrophthisis; Significant decrease compared to control.
3) Kidney tumor; remarkably low activity in tumor.
4) Polycystic kidney; Glut. I activity of cyst wall was within lower limits of normal value.
5) Highly traumatized kidney; Necrotic as well as comparatively healthy part had a decrease tendency, especially in cortex.