Renal sympathetic denervation in rats

Experimental renal sympathetic denervation is a well-established technique. Classically, renal sympathetic denervation is achieved by dorsal rhizotomy. While more recently, direct renal sympathetic denervation is typically applied by stripping all visible renal nerve bundles followed by painting with a solution of 10 % phenol in ethanol to remove the remaining nerves. In clinical settings, a reliable marker of renal sympathetic denervation or renal sympathetic overactivity has not been established. However, in experimental models, successful renal sympathetic denervation is validated by a decrease in renal norepinephrine content levels. This facilitates the assessment of incomplete denervation by technical failure and reinnervation for long-term experimental models. In this chapter, we introduce comprehensive methods for direct renal sympathetic denervation and measurement of renal norepinephrine content levels.