In one-kidney rats the resting blood flow in the renal artery was recorded for 10 minutes then the artery was clipped for one hour and the following reperfusion blood flow was registered again for 10 minutes. The animals were divided into three groups: Series A, untreated control animals. Series B, two weeks before renal ischemia the rats were fed a diet containing 0.1% of BM-14.190, a derivate of carvedilol. Series C the rats received a diet with 0.1% of carvedilol. The resting renal blood flow was 4.58 +/- 0.13 ml/min (x +/- S.E.M.) in series A whereas 6.36 +/- 0.41 ml/min. in series B and 5.87 +/- 0.59 ml/min. in series C (p < 0.01), also the reperfusion blood flow in series B and C was significantly higher (p < 0.01) i.e. 3.65 +/- 0.25 ml/min. and 3.08 +/- 0.33 ml/min. respectively than in series A, 1.08 +/- 0.13 ml/min. The ischemia and the ensuing reperfusion elicited in series A serious injury, especially in renal proximal tubules and their reticulin skeleton whereas the renal injury in series B and C was of a markedly lesser degree. Carvedilol and its derivate BM-14.190 possess beside vasodilatory potency and alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity a potent scavenger property. This may be the cause of the protective effect preventing the ischemia and reperfusion injury in the renal tissue.

Keywords: Animals; Blood Flow Velocity /drug effects/; Carbazoles /pharmacology/; Carvedilol; Free Radical Scavengers; Kidney /blood supply/; Male; Propanolamines /pharmacology/; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Renal Artery /physiology/; Reperfusion Injury /pathology/; Vasodilator Agents /pharmacology/