Ow CP, Abdelkader A, Hilliard LM, Phillips JK, Evans RG. Determinants of renal tissue hypoxia in a rat model of polycystic kidney disease. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 307: R1207-R1215, 2014. First published September 10, 2014 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00202.2014.-Renal tissue oxygen tension (PO2) and its determinants have not been quantified in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Therefore, we measured kidney tissue PO2 in the Lewis rat model of PKD (LPK) and in Lewis control rats. We also determined the relative contributions of altered renal oxygen delivery and consumption to renal tissue hypoxia in LPK rats. PO2 of the superficial cortex of 11-to 13-wk-old LPK rats, measured by Clark electrode with the rat under anesthesia, was higher within the cysts (32.8 Ϯ 4.0 mmHg) than the superficial cortical parenchyma (18.3 Ϯ 3.5 mmHg). PO2 in the superficial cortical parenchyma of Lewis rats was 2.5-fold greater (46.0 Ϯ 3.1 mmHg) than in LPK rats. At each depth below the cortical surface, tissue PO2 in LPK rats was approximately half that in Lewis rats. Renal blood flow was 60% less in LPK than in Lewis rats, and arterial hemoglobin concentration was 57% less, so renal oxygen delivery was 78% less. Renal venous PO2 was 38% less in LPK than Lewis rats. Sodium reabsorption was 98% less in LPK than Lewis rats, but renal oxygen consumption did not significantly differ between the two groups. Thus, in this model of PKD, kidney tissue is severely hypoxic, at least partly because of deficient renal oxygen delivery. Nevertheless, the observation of similar renal oxygen consumption, despite markedly less sodium reabsorption, in the kidneys of LPK compared with Lewis rats, indicates the presence of inappropriately high oxygen consumption in the polycystic kidney. chronic kidney disease; anoxia; ischemia; oxygen; oxygen consumption; oxygen delivery; renal circulation POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE (PKD) is characterized by enhanced proliferation of the epithelium (25) resulting in the formation of renal cysts (20), renomegaly (50), and abnormalities of the renal vasculature (3, 52). Renal tissue hypoxia also appears to be characteristic of PKD, having been demonstrated using pimonidazole adduct immunohistochemistry, an indirect method for assessing tissue oxygenation (4, 10). These observations indicate that hypoxia is present throughout the renal parenchyma, but that the epithelium lining the cysts is particularly hypoxic (2, 4, 10). However, we are not aware of any previous studies in which renal tissue oxygen tension (PO 2 ) has been measured directly in PKD. Renal hypoxia might be important in PKD in at least two respects. First, there is evidence that in chronic kidney disease renal tissue hypoxia can activate sensory nerves within the kidney to activate the sympathetic nervous system (18). Second, hypoxia may exacerbate progression of PKD by hypoxia-inducible factor-dependent cystogenesis (6, 41).In chronic kidney disease, an imbalance between renal oxygen delivery (DO 2 ) and consumption (V O 2 ), the main determinants of ...