Total proteins, angiotensin-converting enzyme, N-acetyl-beta -D-glucosamini
dase, glutamine transaminase K and glutamine synthetase were determined in
urine collected overnight (14 h: 6:00 p.m.-8:00 a.m.) from naive male Wista
r rats; glutamine transaminase K and glutamine synthetase in the kidney 10
000 g supernatant and p-aminohippurate uptake in renal cortical slices also
were measured. Urinary parameters were related both to urinary creatinine
concentration and urinary flow rate; kidney parameters were related to prot
ein concentration (enzymes) or slice/medium (S/M) ratio (p-aminohippurate u
ptake). The following reference ranges (1.0 and 99.0 percentiles) were obta
ined: urine: total urinary proteins (195 samples) 0.03-0.29 g mmol(-1) crea
tinine and 0.13-1.77 mg h(-1); angiotensin-converting enzyme (115 samples)
8.9-63.7 mu mol mmol(-1) creatinine and 59.4-282.7 nmolh(-1); glutamine tra
nsaminase K (115 samples) 0-1.7 mu mol mmol(-1) creatinine and 0-8.5 nmol h
(-1); N-acetyl-beta -D-glucosaminidase (72 samples) 0.7-5.0 mu mol mmol(-1)
creatinine and 4.9-28.4 nmol h(-1) (naive male rats did not excrete glutam
ine synthetase); kidney: glutamine transaminase K (36 samples) 14.5-32.8 nm
ol mg(-1) protein; glutamine synthetase (22 samples) 13.9-48.6 nmol mg(-1)
protein and p-aminohippurate (54 samples) 4.77-17.89 S/M. Urinary creatinin
e (r = -0.780), total urinary proteins (r = -0.521), angiotensin-converting
enzyme (r = -0.650) and N-acetyl-beta -D-glucosaminidase (r = -0.796) but
not glutamine transaminase K were well correlated with diuresis. In additio
n, the same parameters, but not glutamine transaminase K, were well correla
ted with creatinine (r = 0.604,0.701 and 0.747, respectively). Significant
correlation also was observed between urinary indices adjusted to creatinin
e or urinary flow rate (total urinary proteins: r = 0.813; angiotensin-conv
erting enzyme: r = 0.677; glutamine transaminase K: r = 0.939; N-acetyl-bet
a -D-glucosaminidase: r = 0.657). Finally, a low but significant correlatio
n was found between total urinary proteins and angiotensin-converting enzym
e (r = 0.293) and N-aeetyl-beta -D-glucosaminidase (r = 0.471). Copyright (
C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.