This study investigated the influence of the administration of pharmacological agents on the recovery of rabbit kidneys from the effects of 1 hr of in situ normothermic ischemia, utilizing acute and chronic models. The agents tested included the diuretics mannitol and furosemide, the vasoactive agents phenoxybenzamine, propranolol, and dopamine, and the membrane stabilizers chlorpromazine and methylprednisolone. A beneficial effect was detected only with the diuretic agents and propranolol when given prior to the ischemic insult.In cadaveric kidney transplantation, normothermic ischemia is known to have a particularly adverse effect on renal function(1–4). In order to protect the kidney from both this and subsequent preservational injury, it is common practice to administer pharmacological agents singly or in combination to both donors and recipients(5–7). Many reports exist advocating the use of individual substances, but the lack of comparative experimental data makes it difficult for the clinician to determine which of these is the most effective. Accordingly, this study was undertaken to compare several of the most widely used agents in a small animal experimental model in which 1 hr of normothermic ischemia served as the test injury.