MORPHOMETRY ON PROXIMAL TUBULE OF THE KIDNEY IN RAT PUPS FROM UNINEPHRECTOMIZED MOTHERS

Effects of maternal uninephrectomy in rats, which was performed on day 5 of gestation, on development of proximal renal tubule of the pups w ere morphometrically investigated. One day after birth, both the proxi mal tubular length per unit volume (1 mm(3)) of whole kidney and total proximal tubular volume in the neonates from uninephrectomized mother s were significantly larger than those in the neonates from sham-opera ted mothers. Six weeks after birth, no significant differences in para meters of the kidney were observed between the pups from uninephrectom ized and sham-operated mothers. These results suggest that maternal un inephrectomy in the rat accelerates the development of proximal renal tubule in the fetus and that the renotropic activity is not lasting du ring postnatal development of the kidney.