Differential regulation of renal cyclooxygenase mRNA by dietary salt intake. Experiments were done to investigate the influence of dietary salt intake on renal cyclooxygenase (COX) I and II mRNA levels. To this end rats were fed either a low NaCl diet (LS; 0.02% NaCl wt/wt) or a high NaCl diet (HS diet; 4% NaCl wt/wt) for 5, 10 and 20 days. After 10 days Na excretion differed 760-fold, plasma renin activity and renin mRNA were increased eight- and threefold in LS compared to HS animals. Total renal COX I mRNA decreased 50% following the LS diet and did not change after the HS diet. Conversely, COX II mRNA declined after HS intake and transiently increased after salt depletion. COX I and II mRNAs were unevenly distributed along the cortical-medullary axis with ratios of the cortex:outer medulla:papilla of 1:3:23 and 1:1:2, respectively. Cortical COX mRNAs were inversely regulated by salt intake with eightfold changes in COX II. Conversely, in medullary zones, COX I mRNA correlated directly with salt intake. We conclude that dietary salt intake influences renal cyclooxygenase mRNAs zone-specifically with opposite responses between cortex and medulla. Cortical COX II-mediated prostaglandin formation is probably important in low salt states whereas medullary COX I-produced prostaglandins seem to be more important for renal adaptation to a high salt intake.