Relationship Between Renal Blood Flow and Erythropoietin Production In Dogs.

SummaryReduction in renal artery blood flow in dogs with the use of a modified Goldblatt clamp to a range of 22.4-35.4% of preconstriction values for 96 hours resulted in a significant increase in plasma levels of erythropoietin at 12 hours. When renal blood flow was reduced to a level 43.5-50% of initial flow erythropoietin titers were also elevated at 12 hours, whereas, reduction to a range of 57.5-71% of initial values only resulted in a slight rise in erythropoietin levels at 24 hours. The mechanism of enhanced erythropoietin elaboration following reduction of renal blood flow is postulated to be the result of renal hypoxia.