Faculty Bibliography

Increases in ambient CO2 tension increase colonic sodium absorption by increasing mucosal to serosal sodium flux. We examined the membrane site of CO2 action by utilizing the polyene antibiotic nystatin to create aqueous pores in the apical membrane. Under these conditions, the basolateral rather than the apical membrane is rate limiting for sodium absorption. Pairs of stripped rat distal colonic segments were mounted in modified Ussing chambers in a Ringer-HCO3 solution gassed with either 3% CO2-97% O2 or 11% CO2-89% O2. Mucosal-to-serosal 22Na and 36Cl fluxes were measured under short-circuited conditions, and ouabain-sensitive absorption was calculated before and after the addition of mucosal nystatin 300 U/ml. Ouabain-sensitive sodium absorption was fivefold greater at 11% CO2 than at 3% CO2 before nystatin addition. Nystatin increased short-circuit current (Isc), transcolonic conductance (Gt) and ouabain-sensitive sodium absorption at 3% CO2 but only increased Isc and Gt at 11% CO2. The levels of sodium absorption at 3% and 11% CO2 after nystatin were equal and identical to the level measured at 11% CO2 in the absence of nystatin. Ouabain-sensitive chloride absorption was similar at 3% and 11% CO2 in the absence of nystatin and was not affected by nystatin addition. These findings suggest that ambient CO2 tension affects colonic sodium absorption by a selective action at the apical membrane

Decreases in arterial pH markedly increase sodium, chloride, and water absorption in the normal ileum and can reverse ongoing cholera toxin-induced secretion. In the current study we examined whether these effects of pH are evident in other models of ileal secretion, and in a model of increased absorption. Rats were anesthetized and transport was measured in ileal loops during respiratory acidosis and alkalosis. Decreases in arterial pH increased absorption equally in control loops and in adjacent loops perfused with a Ringer's solution containing ST toxin (cyclic guanosine monophosphate-mediated secretion), hypertonic mannitol (passive, osmotically mediated secretion), or glucose. Decreases in arterial pH increased absorption in a similar way in loops exposed to cholera toxin (cyclic adenosine monophosphate-mediated secretion) that were then perfused with glucose-Ringer's solution. Alterations in arterial and luminal pH did not affect glucose absorption. These results suggest that the effect of arterial pH on ileal absorption occurs by a mechanism that is independent of these various means of altering transport.

We examined several sources of error in isotopic flux measurements in a commonly used experimental model: the study of 22Na and 36Cl fluxes across rat ileal tissue mounted in the Ussing flux chamber. The experiment revealed three important sources of error: the absolute counts per minute, the difference in counts per minute between serial samples, and averaging of serial samples. By computer manipulation, we then applied hypothetical changes in the experimental protocol to generalize these findings and assess the effect and interaction of the absolute counts per minute, the sampling interval, and the counting time on the magnitude of the error. We found that the error of a flux measurement will vary inversely with the counting time and the difference between the consecutive sample counts per minute used in the flux calculations and will vary directly with the absolute counts per minute of each sample. Alteration of the 'hot' side specific activity, the surface area of the tissue across which flux is measured and the sample volume have a smaller impact on measurement error. Experimental protocols should be designed with these methodological considerations in mind to minimize the error inherent in measuring isotope flux

Chloride absorption in the small intestine of the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, is reported to be sensitive to ambient pH. We studied this sensitivity in isolated stripped intestinal mucosa mounted in modified Ussing chambers. Unidirectional 36Cl fluxes (JClm----s, JCls----m) were measured under short-circuited conditions in bathing solutions containing various combinations of HCO3- (0-20 mM), partial pressure of CO2 (0-36 mmHg), and pH (6.77-7.85). We found that JClm----s, net 36Cl flux (JClnet), and short-circuit current (Isc) increased and JCls----m decreased predominately in response to increases in bathing solution pH. There was a linear relationship between pH and both JClnet (r = 0.92, P less than 0.01) and Isc (r = 0.96, P less than 0.005) between pH 6.77 and 7.74. The pH effect was completely reversible, did not require either CO2 or HCO3-, and was not affected by the presence of mucosal barium at 1 mM. Mucosal bumetanide (0.1 mM) completely inhibited the pH effect. These data suggest that the process by which Cl- is absorbed in the flounder intestine is sensitive to pH. The data do not indicate whether pH affects Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransport or a Cl- transport pathway in series with this process. The direction of Cl- absorption in response to pH contrasts with inverse relation of pH and Cl- absorption in mammalian small intestine

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

Previous work from this laboratory has shown that in the intact animal, ileal sodium chloride absorption is responsive to alterations in systemic acid-base balance. In vitro studies were undertaken to determine the nature of the active transport process affected. Paired, unstripped ileal tissues from Sprague-Dawley rats were mounted in modified Ussing chambers, and unidirectional 22Na and 36Cl fluxes were measured under short-circuited conditions (Isc). Acid-base effects were examined by changing either bathing solution partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) or HCO3 concentration or by the addition of HCl or NaOH to a non-HCO3 N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer. When pH was decreased from 7.6 to 7.1, net sodium absorption increased twofold regardless of the means by which pH was changed. This increase was primarily accounted for by an increase in mucosal-to-serosal flux. Net chloride absorption was affected in a similar way, but the increase in absorption was primarily accounted for by an increase in mucosal-to-serosal flux only in the HEPES buffer. These changes were accompanied by reductions in Isc and residual flux. When all groups were considered, mucosal-to-serosal Na (JNam----s) and net Na (JNanet) fluxes correlated strongly with bathing solution pH (r = 0.84 and 0.94, respectively, P less than 0.01). These data indicate that an active ileal sodium chloride absorptive process is specifically responsive to changes in bathing solution pH. In addition, pH may affect ileal electrogenic chloride, HCO3, and/or H secretion