Faculty Bibliography

Alterations in extracellular pH cause reciprocal changes in NaCl absorption in the rat and rabbit ileum. The presence of cholera toxin-induced secretion does not affect pH action measured by in vivo perfusion of the rat ileum. We examined the interaction of pH and cyclic adenosine monophosphate-induced secretion in the rabbit ileum. We found that alterations in arterial pH did not affect ileal absorption in the rabbit in the presence of cholera toxin-induced secretion. This was true whether transport was studied during in vivo ileal perfusion of anesthetized rabbits or by measuring Na+ and Cl- fluxes across isolated, short-circuited tissues in the Ussing chamber. The effects of pH also were blocked when normal rabbit ileum was exposed to 1 mmol/L dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate in vitro. By contrast, alterations in bathing solution pH affected ileal absorption in the rat in the presence and absence of cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Similarly, exposure to cyclic adenosine monophosphate did not affect the response of the rat colon to PCO2. These findings suggest that the apparently independent effects of pH and cyclic adenosine monophosphate in the rat ileum are not universal. In tissues such as the rabbit ileum, the mechanisms of pH and cyclic adenosine monophosphate action may have biochemical or physiological pathways in common

Alterations in arterial acid-base variables have important effects on colonic electrolyte transport in vivo. To confirm the relative effects of these variables and to characterize the transport processes involved, we measured unidirectional 22Na and 36Cl fluxes across short-circuited, distal colonic mucosa of Sprague-Dawley rats. Stripped tissues were studied in Hepes buffer and in Ringer's solutions at HCO3 concentrations of 11, 21, and 39 mM, and CO2 tensions between 0 and 69.6 mmHg. Increases in PCO2, but not in either pH or HCO3 concentration, caused similar increases in JNanet and JClnet (net flux of sodium and chloride, respectively) from -0.2 +/- 0.3 and -1.5 +/- 0.4 mu eq/cm2 per h at PCO2 = 0 to 6.8 +/- 0.6 and 7.6 +/- 0.7 mu eq/cm2 per h, respectively, at PCO2 = 69.6 mmHg. These increases were accounted for by changes in Jms and were accompanied by small decreases in Isc. 1 mM acetazolamide decreased both JNanet and JClnet and their responses to increases in CO2. 0.75 mM luminal amiloride prevented the increase in sodium absorption, but did not affect the CO2-induced increase in chloride absorption. In the presence of amiloride, CO2 increased JR (residual flux). 0.1 mM luminal furosemide did not affect the CO2-induced increases in JNanet in the absence or presence of amiloride. Changes in HCO3 concentration did not alter JR. We conclude that ambient CO2 effects active, electroneutral sodium absorption in the rat distal colon. The process stimulated by CO2 is dependent on mucosal carbonic anhydrase activity and most likely represents Na/H and Cl/HCO3 ion exchange

We previously reported that systemic pH and HCO3 concentration affect ileal water and electrolyte absorption. To determine whether these effects could influence an ongoing secretory process, we measured transport in ileal loops exposed to either saline or 50-75 micrograms cholera toxin in mechanically ventilated Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium. The effects of acute respiratory and metabolic acidosis and alkalosis were then examined. Decreases in systemic pH during respiratory acidosis caused equivalent increases in net water (54 +/- 8 microliters . cm-1 . h-1) and Na absorption (7 +/- 1 mu eq . cm- . h-1) and smaller increases in Cl absorption in cholera toxin compared with saline loops. These increases reversed the net secretion of these ions observed during alkalemia in the cholera toxin loops to net absorption. Metabolic acidosis and alkalosis and respiratory compensation of systemic pH of these metabolic disorders also altered cholera toxin-induced secretion in a direction consistent with the pH change. The increase in net HCO3 secretion caused by cholera toxin was unaffected by the respiratory disorders and did not vary with the HCO3 concentration in the metabolic disorders. These findings suggest that the systemic acid-base disorders that characterize intestinal secretory states may themselves alter intestinal absorptive function and fluid losses