Central Inhibition of Antidiuretic Hormone by the Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist Nalfurafine Prevents and Reverses Loop Diuretic Resistance

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PURPOSE: Diuretic resistance is a failure to achieve a therapeutically desired increase in the renal excretion of sodium and water and reduction in edema despite a full dose of a loop diuretic. High levels of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) have been associated with reduced urine output in heart failure patients. However, ADH’s contribution to the development of diuretic resistance is not known. Assuming that ADH may be released in response to the diuresis produced by loop diuretics, we tested the premise that co-treatment of rats with nalfurafine, a centrally acting kappa opioid (KOR) agonist that inhibits the release of ADH would prevent and/or reverse diuretic resistance to the loop diuretic furosemide. METHODS: Changes in 5-hr urine output (metabolic cages; no water access during collection), urinary Na/K excretion, and osmolality were measured in male Sprague-Dawley rats administered twice-daily i.p. injections (9:00am, 2:00pm; n=6/group) for 11 days with 1) furosemide only (F, 10mg/kg, i.p.; days 1-11), 2) furosemide + nalfurafine (F+N, 10ug/kg, i.p.; days 1-11) or 3) F (days 1-5) followed by F+N (days 6-11). 5-hr urine collection was measured in between the morning and afternoon drug injections and rats were returned to home cages. Control 5-hr urine samples (saline, i.p.) were collected 2 days prior to beginning drug treatments. SUMMARY: Initial treatment (day 1) of rats with F alone and F+N markedly increased urine output. However, over days 6-10, urine output was significantly reduced (diuretic resistance) in rats that continued to receive F alone. Daily co-treatment of F+N beginning day 1 maintained a marked 5-hrdiuresis for all 11 days. Further, delaying addition of nalfurafine co-administration with F until day 6 reversed established diuretic resistance as noted by a marked increase in diuresis over days 6-10 with F+N cotreatment. Initial treatment (day 1) of rats with furosemide also produced a marked natriuresis and kaliuresis. However, on subsequent days (2-11) there was a significant decrease in the renal excretion of sodium and potassium that remained lower in all 3 treatment groups. In contrast, nalfurafine co-treatment beginning either day 1 (Group 2) or day 6 (Group 3) increased free-water clearance as compared to furosemide alone (Group 1). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that co-administration of the KOR agonist nalfurafine prevented and reversed diuretic resistance to furosemide without worsening electrolyte excretion. Further, these findings support the premise that in response to fluid loss caused by repeated loop diuretic administration, a compensatory release and renal action of ADH plays an important role in mediating loop diuretic resistance. NIH P30GM106392 (DK) LSUHSC REP243 (DK). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.