Researchers at Mayo Clinic have discovered a previously unknown way the kidneys help maintain the body's water balance, a finding that could eventually lead to better treatments for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and other conditions.
The study, led by Mayo Clinic nephrologist Fouad Chebib, M.D., was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Scientists have long believed that the body's ability to concentrate urine and avoid dehydration depends mainly on the hormone vasopressin. The new research reveals that the kidneys also have another pathway for regulating water that works independently of vasopressin.
"The kidney's ability to regulate water is one of the most fundamental processes in the body," Dr. Chebib says. "It's not every day that you uncover a new way it carries out that function."
Hidden Kidney Pathway Discovered
