Axelsson J, Rippe A, Venturoli D, Swärd P, Rippe B. Effects of early endotoxemia and dextran-induced anaphylaxis on the size selectivity of the glomerular filtration barrier in rats. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 296: F242-F248, 2009. First published November 12, 2008 doi:10.1152/ajprenal.90263.2008.-This study was performed to investigate the glomerular permeability alterations responsible for the microalbuminuria occurring in endotoxemia and during anaphylactic shock. In anesthetized Wistar rats, the left ureter was catheterized for urine collection while, simultaneously, blood access was achieved. Endotoxemia was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli, and glomerular permeability was assessed at 60 and 90 (n ϭ 7) and 120 (n ϭ 7) min. Anaphylaxis was induced by a bolus dose of Dextran-70, and glomerular permeability assessed at 5 min (n ϭ 8) and 40 min (n ϭ 9). Sham animals were followed for either 5 or 120 min. The glomerular sieving coefficients () to fluorescein isothiocyanate-Ficoll (70/400) were determined from plasma and urine samples and assessed using size-exclusion chromatography (HPLC). After start of the LPS infusion (2 h), but not at 60 or 90 min, for Ficoll70Å had increased markedly [from 2.91 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 Ϯ 6.33 ϫ 10 Ϫ6 to 7.78 ϫ 10 Ϫ5 Ϯ 6.21 ϫ 10 Ϫ6 (P Ͻ 0.001)]. In anaphylaxis, there was a large increase in for Ficolls Ͼ60 Å in molecular radius already at 5 min, but the glomerular permeability was completely restored at 40 min. In conclusion, there was a transient, immediate increment of glomerular permeability in dextran-induced anaphylaxis, which was completely reversible within 40 min. By contrast, endotoxemia caused an increase in glomerular permeability that was manifest first after 2 h. In both cases, to large Ficoll molecules were markedly increased, reflecting an increase in the number of large pores in the glomerular filter. endotoxin; systemic inflammatory response syndrome MICROALBUMINURIA, I.E., JUST moderately increased urinary albumin excretion rates (20 -200 g/min in humans), is an early predictor of many glomerular diseases, such as various glomerulonephritides and diabetic nephropathy and is an established marker of endothelial dysfunction. It is also a feature of acute systemic inflammation or stress, such as following trauma (18), operations (6, 16), thermal injury (30), or in the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) (4). The pathophysiological alterations resulting in microalbuminuria have only rarely been investigated. For example, it is not precisely known whether (proximal) tubular dysfunction is the major cause of microalbuminuria or whether charge-or sizeselective alterations of the glomerular filtration barrier, or both, are affected. In a recent study, we found that early diabetic microalbuminuria in rats was mainly related to size-selective changes in the glomerular barrier (25) and that charge alterations were just secondary. Also, the glomerular alterations following pronounced ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury could be mainly ascribed to siz...