Invited Review Renal autoregulation: new perspectives regarding the protective and regulatory roles of the underlying mechanisms

dani. Renal autoregulation: new perspectives regarding the protective and regula-tory roles of the underlying mechanisms. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 290: R1153–R1167, 2006. doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00402.2005.—When the kidney is subjected to acute increases in blood pressure (BP), renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are observed to remain relatively constant. Two mechanisms, tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) and the myogenic response, are thought to act in concert to achieve a precise moment-by-moment regulation of GFR and distal salt delivery. The current view is that this mechanism insulates renal excretory function from fluctuations in BP. Indeed, the concept that renal autoreg-ulation is necessary for normal renal function and volume homeostasis has long been a cornerstone of renal physiology. This article presents a very different view, at least regarding the myogenic component of this response. We suggest that its primary purpose is to protect the kidney against the damaging effects of hyperten-sion. The arguments advanced take into consideration the unique properties of the afferent arteriolar myogenic response that allow it to protect against the oscillatin