PYELONEPHRITIS - RENAL UROKINASE ACTIVITY IN RATS ON ESSENTIAL FATTY-ACID DIETS

This study was undertaken to assess whether additions of different oil s to the diets of male rats would affect the renal urokinase (UK) acti vity of healthy and pyelonephritic kidneys. Four groups of fatty acid diets were studied: fat-free, coconut oil, fish oil and evening primro se oil (EPO). Pyelonephritis was obtained by unilateral extrarenal uri nary obstruction and subcutaneous injection of Escherichia coli. The U K activity of the non-obstructed kidneys did not differ statistically between rats infected and not infected with bacteria (P > 0.056), exce pt within the coconut oil group. A statistically decreased UK activity was obtained with bacteria injected animals on a coconut oil diet (P< 0.0001). This phenomenon, namely a decrease in UK activity, was also s een with pyelonephritic kidneys of rats on fat-free, coconut and fish oil diets (P < 0.0065). However, the UK activity of the obstructed kid neys with and without infection in the EPO group remained similar (P = 0.8477). These results suggest that the UK activity in infection-indu ced renal stones may be restored by EPO containing diets and may be of high relevance in the prevention and treatment of infection-induced r enal stones. This revelation now needs to be more fully investigated.