Regulation of urinary dopamine by protein and NaCl: A model of extraneuronal amine formation in kidney

Dopamine (DA) excretion correlates directly with NaCl intake, but in salt sensitive hypertensive subjects the DA response to NaCl is deficient. While the linkage between dietary NaCl and renal DA formation is normal or pathophysiological states is currently undefined, a model of renal amine production is proposed in which alterations in renal blood flow and/or renal tubular transport mechanisms account for both the normal and abnormal responses to dietary NaCl. This model derives, in part, from observations in experimental animals and in human subjects in which renal DA production is more highly correlated with renal serotonin (5-HT) formation than with indices of either sympathetic nervous system or adrenal medullary activity.