Endurance training does not enhance total energy expenditure in healthy elderly persons.

Physical exercise is prescribed to older individuals to increase cardiovascular fitness and improve body composition. However, there is limited information on the effect of exercise on total energy expenditure (TEE) and its components. We therefore determined the effects of short-term endurance training in 11 elderly volunteers (56-78 years) on changes in 1) TEE, from doubly labeled water; 2) resting metabolic rate (RMR), from respiratory gas analysis, 3) the energy expenditure of physical activity (EEPA), aside from that associated with the training program, and 4) body composition from a combination of body density with total body water. Endurance training increased maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) by 9% (2.00 +/- 0.67 to 2.17 +/- 0.64 l/min; P < 0.05) and RMR by 11% (1,596 +/- 214 to 1,763 +/- 170 kcal/day; P < 0.01). There was no significant change in TEE (2,408 +/- 478 to 2,479 +/- 497 kcal/day) before and during the last 10 days of endurance training because of a 62% reduction in EEPA (571 +/- 386 to 340 +/- 452 kcal/day; P < 0.01). There was no change in body mass, but fat mass decreased (21.6 +/- 6.6 to 20.7 +/- 6.6 kg; P < 0.05). The increase in fat-free mass (49.5 +/- 9.0 to 50.4 +/- 9.1 kg; P < 0.05) was explained by an increase in body water (35.9 +/- 6.5 to 36.8 +/- 6.3 kg; P < 0.05). We conclude that in healthy elderly persons, endurance training enhances cardiovascular fitness, but does not increase TEE because of a compensatory decline in physical activity during the remainder of the day.


Precision and accuracy of doubly labeled water energy expenditure by multipoint and two-point methods.

Two-point or multipoint, that is the question. Equations are developed to compare the precision and accuracy of energy expenditure, as estimated from doubly labeled water data, when analyzed by the multipoint and two-point methods. The equations convert the enrichments of deuterium and oxygen-18 into their ratio and product, quantities that are less covariant than the two isotopes themselves are. This is important not only for estimating the precision but also as a graphical aid, since the ratios of the enrichments model carbon dioxide production, whereas the enrichment products largely model water turnover. Using data on 12 human subjects from the United Kingdom and The Gambia as examples, the combined precision and accuracy of the multipoint method (CV 3.6%) was found to be appreciably better than the two-point method (CV 5.4%). The bias in the multipoint estimate of body pool size would need to be three times as large as was observed before it canceled out the better precision.


Membrane receptors for aldosterone: a novel pathway for mineralocorticoid action.

Rapid nongenomic in vitro effects of aldosterone on intracellular electrolytes, cell volume, and Na(+)-H+ antiport have been found in human mononuclear leukocytes (HML). Binding of 125I-labeled aldosterone to plasma membranes of HML shares important features with these functional data. This includes a very low apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of 0.1 nM for both aldosterone and the effect on the Na(+)-H(+)-antiport, a high turnover rate, and the almost exclusive binding selectivity for aldosterone. Dexamethasone, RU 26988, corticosterone, ouabain, amiloride, and 18-hydroxyprogesterone were inactive as ligands. Deoxycorticosterone acetate had an intermediate activity with an apparent Kd of 100 nM. These findings are the first to demonstrate membrane binding of aldosterone being compatible with major aspects of its nongenomic effects.


Influence of growth hormone on glucose-glucose 6-phosphate cycle and insulin action in normal humans.

Increased activity of the hepatic glucose-glucose 6-phosphate (G/G-6-P) cycle is associated with hepatic and peripheral insulin resistance in acromegaly. To determine whether a similar association occurs after short-term growth hormone (GH) elevation within the physiological range, two-step euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps were performed in normal human males after 12-h GH (2.2 ng.kg-1 x h-1) and control infusions. G/G-6-P cycle activity and endogenous glucose production (EGP) were determined by [2-3H]- and [6-3H]-glucose using labeled exogenous glucose infusions and selective enzymatic detritiation. GH increased levels of circulating lipid intermediates despite a twofold increase in basal insulin (P < 0.005), but plasma glucose, EGP, and G/G-6-P cycle activity were unchanged. GH impaired insulin suppression of EGP and lipid intermediates and impaired insulin stimulation of glucose disposal, but G/G-6-P cycle activity was unchanged. We conclude that increased activity of the G/G-6-P cycle does not contribute to the hepatic insulin resistance induced by GH under these conditions but that changes in fatty acid metabolism may be partly responsible for the impairment in hepatic and peripheral insulin action.


Mass isotopomer distribution analysis: a technique for measuring biosynthesis and turnover of polymers.

Mass isotopomer distribution analysis (MIDA) is a technique for measuring biosynthesis and turnover of polymers in vivo. A stable isotopically enriched precursor is administered, and the relative abundances of different mass isotopomers in the polymer of interest are measured by mass spectrometry (MS). By comparison of statistical distributions predicted from the binomial or multinomial expansion to the pattern of excess isotopomer frequencies observed in the polymer, the enrichment of the biosynthetic precursor subunits (p) for newly synthesized polymers is calculated. MIDA thereby provides a solution to the problem of determining the isotope content in the actual precursor molecules that entered a particular polymeric product (the "true" precursor). The fraction of polymer molecules in a mixture that were newly synthesized during an isotopic experiment (fractional synthesis) can then be calculated. We describe some mathematical characteristics of MIDA and point out certain advantageous features. For example, mathematical estimates of p remain valid even if there does not exist a single anatomic or functional precursor pool. The interpretation of decay curves of endogenously labeled polymers may be improved by the use of higher mass isotopomers, which better fulfill the assumption of flash labeling. By combining fractional synthesis values with rate constants of decay, absolute endogenous synthesis rates can be calculated. Thus, by using probability logic combined with MS analysis, MIDA allows dynamic measurements to be made through analyses on a polymer alone during both isotopic incorporation and decay phases. The method has been applied to fatty acids, cholesterol, and glucose and is potentially applicable to nucleic acids, porphyrins, perhaps proteins, and many other classes of polymers.


Role of platelet-activating factor in hepatic responses after bile duct ligation in rats.

Role of platelet-activating factor (PAF) as a potential mediator of hepatic pathophysiology was investigated using a rat model of obstructive jaundice. Over a 1-wk course of bile duct ligation, a sixfold increase in tissue levels of PAF (1.57 +/- 0.43 ng/g vs. control 0.24 +/- 0.08 ng/g) occurred in the liver, whereas no change was observed in PAF levels in plasma. Concomitantly, endotoxin was detected in portal blood drawn from jaundiced rats, and antagonism of the putative effect of endotoxin by neomycin plus polymyxin B reduced local PAF concentrations in livers from jaundiced animals. Induction of neutropenia failed to alter the elevated hepatic PAF concentrations. Moreover, a large quantity of PAF was released spontaneously from Kupffer cells isolated from livers derived from jaundiced rats but not from endothelial cells or hepatocytes from the same animals. An in vitro study using cultured Kupffer cells from normal rats indicated that Kupffer cells secreted a significant amount of PAF in response to lipopolysaccharide challenge; pretreatment of cells with polymyxin B prevented this stimulated PAF release. Treatment of animals with either of two PAF receptor antagonists (BN 52021 and WEB 2170) partially prevented the increase in tissue levels of eicosanoids and O2-derived free radicals and partially alleviated liver injury as judged by the appearance of glutamate-pyruvate transaminase in the plasma of jaundiced rats. The present study indicates 1) that endogenous PAF may be an important signaling mediator for the hepatic inflammatory alterations associated with short-term bile duct ligation and 2) that the interaction of Kupffer cells with portal endotoxin is the mechanism by which PAF is produced locally.


Ontogenetic development of nutrient transporters in rat intestine.

We measured intestinal brush-border uptakes of three sugars and three amino acids, plus intestinal morphometric parameters, in rats from the day of birth until adulthood. Rates of body weight gain had pronounced peaks in the suckling phase and again during weaning, separated by a dip at the onset of weaning. These two peaks coincided with peaks or plateaus in intestinal growth and in glucose (Glc) and proline (Pro) uptake capacities, which may provide the basis for high rates of body growth. Pro uptake declined relative to Glc uptake upon weaning, reflecting decreasing protein needs for growth and decreasing protein intake relative to carbohydrate intake. Fructose (Frc) and lysine uptake increased steeply on weaning, whereas galactose uptake declined relative to that of Glc. Rats prevented from normal weaning by being maintained on dry milk were generally similar to normal rats weaned onto chow. Notably, their Frc uptake still rose steeply on weaning despite low dietary Frc levels, suggesting hard-wired regulation of Frc transporter development. Our in vitro uptakes are similar to modern in vivo values in the same strain of rats. Nutrient uptake capacities exceed normal dietary intakes by only a modest safety margin.


Ontogenetic development of nutrient transporters in cat intestine.

Cats are unusual among mammals in several features of nutritional ontogeny related to their strict carnivory as adults. Hence we measured intestinal brush-border uptakes of three sugars and six amino acids, plus intestinal morphometric parameters, in cats from birth until after weaning. The ratio of amino acid to sugar uptake increases with age, in parallel with the increasing protein/carbohydrate ratio of the natural diet. At weaning, when galactose disappears from the natural diet of cats, the galactose/glucose uptake ratio declines steeply, implying a developmental sequence of multiple aldohexose transporters. Fructose uptake remains low at all ages. Uptakes of arginine (hyperessential to cats) and of lysine are notably high throughout the suckling period. The intense perinatal intestinal hyperplasia observed in many other mammal species is absent in cats. The developmental course of intestinal uptake capacities normalized to metabolic live mass parallels the course of relative body growth rates. The "safety margin" of uptake capacity over intake is greater for essential than nonessential amino acids and is greatest for the hyperessential arginine.


Glutathione as a primary osmotic driving force in hepatic bile formation.

Indirect evidence suggests that transport of glutathione (GSH) across the canalicular plasma membrane into bile contributes to the formation of the bile acid-independent fraction of bile flow. To directly test this hypothesis, the present study measured bile flow in isolated perfused rat livers whose biliary GSH excretion rate was selectively modulated by administration of GSH monoethyl ester (50, 100, and 200 mumol infused over a 20-min interval), a high dose of GSH itself (550 mumol over 20 min), and the three amino acid components of GSH (70 mumol each) with and without methionine (35 mumol). Animals were starved overnight to decrease hepatic GSH levels, and livers were pretreated with acivicin to inhibit gamma-glutamyl transferase. Livers perfused single pass with Krebs-Henseleit buffer excreted bile acids at a relatively low rate of 1-3 nmol.min-1 x g-1, and this rate was unaffected by agents used to alter biliary GSH efflux. In comparison, basal biliary GSH efflux rates were 8-13 nmol.min-1 x g-1. Administration of the GSH ester produced a dramatic dose-dependent choleresis, a stimulation of biliary GSH excretion, and resulted in the biliary excretion of intact GSH ester. Changes in total biliary GSH excretion and bile flow were temporally and quantitatively related. Infusion of GSH and amino acid supplementation also resulted in higher rates of bile flow and biliary GSH excretion, but their effects were more modest.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Constitutive expression of the taurine transporter in a human colon carcinoma cell line.

The human colon carcinoma cell line HT-29, when grown to confluence, was found to take up taurine and accumulate it against a concentration gradient from a NaCl-containing uptake medium. Replacement of NaCl with choline chloride almost totally abolished the uptake. Taurine uptake was dependent not only on Na+ but also on Cl-, because other anions failed to support the uptake in the presence of Na+. The uptake process was specific for beta-amino acids such as taurine, hypotaurine, and beta-alanine. Apparently, a single transport system with a Michaelis-Menten constant of 10.6 +/- 0.3 microM was responsible for the uptake. Stoichiometric analyses revealed that the Na+:taurine coupling ratio was 2:1, whereas the Cl-:taurine coupling ratio was 1:1. Culture of the cells in the presence of taurine caused downregulation of the uptake system. These cells were also capable of accumulating beta-alanine against a concentration gradient in the presence of NaCl. Beta-Alanine uptake occurred via a single transport system with an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant of 36 +/- 2 microM. Taurine and beta-alanine exhibited mutual interaction during uptake. Kinetic experiments strongly suggested that a common transporter was responsible for the uptake of these two beta-amino acids. It is concluded that the HT-29 cells constitutively express the taurine transporter and that this cell line may be a suitable model for investigations of intestinal taurine transporter.


Histamine potentiation by hydroxylamines: structure-activity relations; inhibition of diamine oxidase.

Hydroxylamines potentiated the responses of the canine colonic epithelium to histamine but not to other agonists such as serotonin or carbachol. We tested the hypothesis that an inhibition of histamine catabolism could explain the observed potentiation. A clear structure activity relation was defined, active compounds having the structure NH2-O-R, R being a simple uncharged aliphatic group. Active compounds delayed the disappearance of histamine from the bathing solutions and inhibited colonic diamine oxidase, an effect mimicked by standard inhibitors aminoguanidine and semicarbazide. Histamine agonists that possessed an imidazole nucleus (2- and 4-methylhistamine) were affected, whereas impromidine, 2 pyridylethylamine, and dimaprit were not. Agonist specificity combined with the enzyme data suggest an inhibition of histamine catabolism as a possible mechanism for the potentiating effects observed.


Importance of the liver in plasma clearance of hepatocyte growth factors in rats.

After intravenous administration of 125I-labeled hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), trichloroacetic acid-precipitable radioactivity in the plasma disappeared rapidly with an early phase half-life of 4 min. The amounts of 125I-HGF distributed to the liver, adrenal, spleen, kidney, and lung tissues were much greater than those that could be accounted for by distribution to the extracellular space alone. The first-pass removal of 125I-HGF by the liver was approximately 26%; the liver accounted for approximately 70% of early-phase removal. The hepatic handling was also analyzed using a single-pass perfused liver system. The steady-state extraction ratio of tracer 125I-HGF was 0.48 but dropped to 0.23 in the presence of excess HGF (135 pM), demonstrating hepatic removal saturation of HGF. In the presence of excess HGF, the heparin-washable 125I-HGF, the heparin-resistant and acid-washable 125I-HGF, and the internalized 125I-HGF dropped to 54, 31, and 32% of the control values. The presence of at least two binding sites for HGF on the liver cell surfaces was made clear: the heparin-washable site and the heparin-resistant and acid-washable binding site, considered to have higher affinity for HGF. The internalization of 125I-HGF was observed to some extent even in the presence of excess HGF and phenylarsine oxide, known to be an inhibitor of polypeptides receptor-mediated endocytosis, suggesting the contribution of a relatively nonspecific internalization mechanism as well as receptor-mediated endocytosis.


Intestinal absorption and lymphatic transport of peroxidized lipids in rats: effect of exogenous GSH.

We previously found that mucosal glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in the intestinal metabolism of luminal peroxidized lipids [T. Y. Aw, M. W. Williams, and L. Gray. Am. J. Physiol. 262 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 25): G99-G106, 1992]. To determine the effects of exogenous GSH on lipid hydroperoxide elimination under conditions in which mucosal GSH was initially depleted with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), we infused peroxidized lipid solutions without or with GSH into the proximal intestine of rats and monitored the steady-state output of hydroperoxides in lymph and recovery of luminal hydroperoxides. GSH supplementation in BSO-treated rats resulted in a concentration-dependent attenuation of lymphatic output of peroxidized lipids that was correlated with increases in mucosal GSH. Compared with BSO control, the luminal lipid hydroperoxide contents were significantly lower in GSH-supplemented rats, consistent with enhanced elimination of peroxidized lipids by exogenous GSH. The effect of GSH was ameliorated by the inhibitors of GSH uptake, suggesting that the uptake of GSH is required for promotion of intestinal removal of luminal hydroperoxides. Other thiols, either at comparable or higher concentrations than GSH, were without significant effects on lymphatic transport or luminal recovery of lipid hydroperoxides, indicating that these thiols are poor substitutes for GSH. Overall, the data are consistent with exogenous GSH being a source for cellular reduction of peroxidized lipids. Results from these studies could directly impact on future consideration of therapeutic means to increase cellular antioxidant systems to promote intestinal hydroperoxide detoxication.


Symptomatic responses to stimulation of sensory pathways in the jejunum.

We hypothesized that intestinal afferent pathways inducing perception may be selectively activated by transmucosal electrical nerve stimulation, without disruption of the intrinsic myoelectrical rhythm. Hence, in 12 healthy subjects we measured perception (by a questionnaire) and jejunal slow wave activity (by electromyography), and we randomly applied for 1 min at 5-min intervals graded electrical (15 Hz, 100 microseconds) and mechanical stimuli (balloon distension) in the jejunum up to the respective discomfort threshold. Electrical and mechanical stimuli induced dose-related perception; the perception and discomfort thresholds were 39 +/- 7 and 63 +/- 6 mA and 31 +/- 3 and 49 +/- 5 ml for electrical and mechanical stimuli, respectively. More than one-half of electrical stimuli elicited clinical-type symptoms (abdominal pressure, fullness, colicky or sharp sensation) similar to those induced by mechanical stimuli; the remaining electrical stimuli (38 +/- 10%) induced paresthesia or flutterlike sensation. Similar types of symptoms were perceived with weak and strong stimuli. Jejunal slow wave activity (11.3 +/- 0.4 cycles/min) was not modified by either stimuli. We conclude that activation of intestinal sensory pathways, either by transmucosal nerve stimulation or via mechanoreceptors, induces a similar dose-related symptomatic response, without interfering with the intrinsic myoelectrical activity.


Sphincter of Oddi regulates flow by acting as a variable resistor to flow.

Two models of transsphincteric flow and a model evaluating pumping activity were established in the anesthetized Australian brush-tailed possum to determine whether the sphincter of Oddi (SO) acts as a resistor or as a pump. A simple model of transsphincteric flow (inflow only) demonstrated that at physiological common bile duct (CBD) pressure, 9.5 +/- 0.3 cmH2O (n = 7), transsphincteric flow occurred between SO pressure waves (n = 10). A second more complex transsphincteric flow model was established that permitted simultaneous measurements of inflow, outflow, CBD pressure, SO basal pressure, SO contraction frequency, and amplitude. At physiological CBD pressure, inflow always equaled outflow (157.0 +/- 11.2 and 156.4 +/- 11.4 microliters/min, respectively; n = 7). The SO displayed regular contractions superimposed on a basal pressure of 1.1 +/- 0.4 mmHg. Contraction amplitude was 12.6 +/- 3.0 mmHg and the frequency was 3.6 +/- 0.4 contractions/min (n = 7). Pressure waves recorded in the CBD corresponded to the SO contractions and reflected SO activity. Transsphincteric flow occurred between SO contractions and was obstructed by these contractions. Stimulation of SO activity (basal pressure and contraction frequency) with intra-arterial injections of motilin (200 ng/kg) or erythromycin (200 micrograms/kg) abolished transsphincteric flow. Reduction in SO contraction frequency to 72.7 +/- 7.2% (P < 0.01, paired t test) after administration of Cisapride (2 mg/kg iv) increased transsphincteric flow to 147.6 +/- 12.3% (n = 7, P < 0.05, paired t test). In six possums, possible SO pumping action was evaluated. A manometer was connected to the CBD, and a second manometer was connected to the duodenum surrounding the papilla.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Effect of increased tissue oxygen uptake on autoregulation in postnatal intestine.

To determine whether the rate of tissue oxygen utilization affects pressure-flow autoregulation in an age-dependent fashion in postnatal swine intestine, in vitro gut loops from 3- and 35-day-old swine were subjected to a 35% step reduction in arterial pressure under control conditions, during intra-arterial infusion of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and 30 min after luminal instillation of predigested artificial swine milk. Autoregulation was quantitated by determining the effect of pressure reduction on vascular resistance, and also by calculating Gf, a flow-controlling gain factor that relates pressure and flow. DNP infusion increased oxygen uptake 77 and 58% in gut from 3- and 35-day-old swine, respectively, whereas feeding increased oxygen uptake approximately 50% in both groups. Under control conditions, arterial pressure reduction had no effect on vascular resistance in either group. During DNP infusion and 30 min after feeding, however, intestine from 35- but not from 3-day-old swine demonstrated significant vasodilation in response to pressure reduction. Gf averaged -0.06 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.21 +/- 0.08 (P < 0.05) before vs. DNP infusion, and 0.06 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.22 +/- 0.06 (P < 0.05) before vs. 30 min after feeding in intestine from 35-day-old swine; these increases in Gf indicate that the intensity of the pressure-flow response increased during experimental treatments. In contrast, Gf averaged -0.11 +/- 0.07 vs. -0.23 +/- 0.08 before vs. DNP infusion, and -0.23 +/- 0.06 vs. -0.23 +/- 0.09 before vs. 30 min after feeding in intestine from 3-day-old swine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Structural requirements of peptide YY for biological activity at enteric sites.

Peptide YY (PYY) is a colonic hormone consisting of 36 amino acids that is a potent inhibitor of pancreatic exocrine, gastric acid, and insulin secretion. The objective of the present experiments was to characterize the structural requirements of PYY for inhibition of pancreatic exocrine, gastric acid, and insulin secretion, using conscious dogs prepared with gastric and pancreatic fistulas. Intravenous administration of PYY-(1-36), PYY-(3-36), or PYY-(4-36) (400 pmol.kg-1 x h-1) inhibited cholecystokinin-8-stimulated (25 pmol.kg-1 x h-1) pancreatic exocrine secretion (P < 0.05); however, PYY-(1-10), PYY-(1-20), PYY-(6-36), PYY-(10-36), PYY-(13-36), PYY-(24-36), and PYY-(27-36) did not inhibit pancreatic exocrine secretion. Intravenous administration of PYY-(1-36), PYY-(3-36), or PYY-(4-36) (200, 400, 800 pmol.kg-1 x h-1) inhibited pentagastrin (0.5 microgram.kg-1 x h-1)-stimulated gastric acid secretion (P < 0.05), as well as 2-deoxy-D-glucose-stimulated insulin release (75 mg/kg) in a dose-related manner. PYY-(6-36), PYY-(13-36), and [Leu31, Pro34] neuropeptide Y did not inhibit either gastric acid secretion or insulin release. In the gastric acid and insulin secretion bioassays, PYY-(1-36) was significantly more potent than PYY-(3-36) and PYY-(4-36); however, in the pancreatic exocrine secretion bioassay, the inhibitory effects of PYY-(3-36) and PYY-(1-36) did not differ significantly. PYY-(4-36) was less potent than PYY-(1-36) on pancreatic exocrine secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Passive autoregulation of portal venous pressure: distensible hepatic resistance.

Hepatic resistance to portal blood flow is extremely low and both the pre- and postsinusoidal resistance sites are distensible. Both isolated in situ and in vivo vascular circuitry were used in cats to demonstrate the principle of distensible resistance as a mechanism for the observation that blood flow was able to be decreased from 50 to 20 ml.min-1 x kg-1 while intrahepatic pressure decreased by only 1.4 +/- 0.2 mmHg and portal pressure by 2.0 +/- 0.4 mmHg. Presinusoidal resistance increased by 226% and hepatic venous resistance by 57%, thus accounting for passive autoregulation of portal pressure. The relation between vascular resistance and the distending blood pressure that acts on the resistance is predictable from the relationship IC = R.Pd3, where IC is the index of contractility (does not change passively, but does change with active vascular tone changes), R is vascular resistance (changes actively and passively), and Pd is distending blood pressure (estimated as the average of pressure on either side of the resistance vessels). The relatively minor effect of portal flow on portal pressure is accounted for by a combination of factors including the low basal resistance, the distensible resistance, the hepatic arterial buffer response, and hepatic blood volume compliance. By calculation of IC, the venous distensibility can be quantified and the passive effect of flow changes on portal and intrahepatic pressure determined.


Electrophysiological identification of vagally innervated enteric neurons in guinea pig stomach.

Myenteric "command neurons" are thought to be the interface between extrinsic and intrinsic controls of gut functions and are thought to be responsible for transmission of vagal impulses to enteric microcircuits. To identify, electrophysiologically, myenteric neurons responding to electrical stimulation of the vagus, we developed an in vitro preparation of the gastric myenteric plexus in which the vagal innervation was preserved. The majority of myenteric neurons [102 of 155 (66%)] received fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) after stimulation of the vagus. The proportion of neurons receiving vagal input was highest at the lesser curve (98%) and decreased gradually when recordings were made from neurons located toward the greater curve. Only a small proportion of neurons (4 of 85 cells) showed a slow EPSP after a burst of vagal stimulation. No postsynaptic inhibitory potentials were observed. There was no preferential vagal input to either gastric I, gastric II, or gastric III neurons. The fEPSPs were due to the release of acetylcholine acting postsynaptically on nicotinic receptors. The behavior of the fEPSPs suggests multiple vagal inputs to a majority of myenteric neurons. Our observations call into question the concept of enteric command neurons in favor of a divergent vagal input with widespread modulatory influences over gastric enteric neurotransmission.


Helicobacter pylori-associated ammonia production enhances neutrophil-dependent gastric mucosal cell injury.

The role of neutrophil and its chlorinated oxidant were investigated in Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric mucosal injury in vitro. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (ChL) was used to detect neutrophil-derived oxidants. ChL activity was significantly elevated when neutrophils were incubated in H. pylori, indicating that H. pylori actually elicits oxidative burst of neutrophils. To assess whether H. pylori-activated neutrophils exert the cytotoxicity for gastric mucosal cells, rabbit gastric mucosal cell was monolayered in culture wells and labeled with a fluorescence dye, 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)carboxy-fluorescein, which is retained in the intracellular space as long as the cell membrane is intact. Labeled cells were coincubated with neutrophils and H. pylori. We inferred from the cytotoxicity index (specific %cytotoxicity), which was calculated from fluorometrical measurements of supernatant and lysate, that the mucosal cells were significantly damaged by H. pylori-activated neutrophils. This injury was largely attenuated by eliminating urea from the incubation mixture or by acetohydroxamic acid, a potent urease inhibitor. Additionally, the scavengers of neutrophil-derived oxidants, including taurine, methionine, and catalase, also attenuated this injury. Cultured mucosal cells that were exposed to the solution containing monochloramine (an oxidant yielded by reaction of hypochlorous acid and ammonia) were highly damaged compared with cells exposed to hypochlorous acid or hydrogen peroxide at physiological concentrations. These data suggest that H. pylori-activated neutrophils promote gastric mucosal cell injury and that monochloramine plays a unique and important role in this process.


A new method for quantitating intracellular transport: application to the thyroid hormone 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine.

After entering cells from plasma, molecules must permeate through the cytoplasm before they can be metabolized or excreted. If sufficiently slow, cytoplasmic transport may determine the overall rate of cellular elimination at steady state. Cytoplasmic transport of amphipathic molecules should be particularly slow because of extensive binding to intracellular membranes and proteins. Traditional transport models assume that molecules become instantly available for metabolism and canalicular excretion after entering the cell and thus cannot be used to assess cytoplasmic transport. We therefore extended the traditional multiple-indicator dilution (MID) method of Goresky to explicitly incorporate cytoplasmic transport and used the resulting model to estimate the rate constant for cytoplasmic transport of the amphipathic thyroid hormone 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3). We chose T3 because control studies indicated that it is neither metabolized nor excreted during the brief period of an MID experiment (40-90 s). The traditional MID model was unable to account for the data unless we postulated rapid metabolism or excretion of T3. In contrast, the new diffusion MID model fit the data closely without this false assumption and gave values for the influx and efflux rate constants that agreed with previously published data. The half-time for equilibration of T3 across the cytoplasm of the hepatocyte averaged 50 s. This corresponds to an effective cytoplasmic diffusion constant of 3.1 x 10(-8) cm2/s, which is > 100 times slower than expected for free T3 in water. Our results indicate that cytoplasmic transport of this model amphipathic compound is much slower than membrane transport.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Protein kinase C regulation of IEC-6 cell ornithine decarboxylase.

Experiments were performed to immunologically identify protein kinase C (PKC) in cultured IEC-6 cells. Polyclonal antibodies specific to PKC revealed an immunoreactive band of approximately 84 kDa in both cytosolic and solubilized particulate fractions. Treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 10 nM x 60 min) increased the intensity of the 84-kDa band by 25% in the solubilized particulate fraction while decreasing it by 36% in the cytosolic fraction. Prolonged 24-h treatment with 300 nM PMA completely abolished the 84-kDa band in both fractions. Isoform-specific antisera demonstrated that alpha- and epsilon-isoforms of PKC were expressed in IEC-6 cells. Treatment of quiescent cultures with PMA induced a maximal 400% increase in ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. Similarly, addition of exogenous phospholipase C (PLC) to quiescent cells stimulated ODC activity. Downregulation of PKC with 300 nM PMA x 24 h inhibited basal, serum, and PLC-stimulated ODC activity by 70%. Northern analysis revealed that PKC downregulation was correlated with a marked reduction in ODC mRNA levels, suggesting regulation of ODC enzyme at this level. Despite their ability to modulate ODC activity in quiescent cultures, neither PMA nor PLC induced [3H]thymidine incorporation at 24 h. Furthermore, downregulation of PKC did not attenuate thymidine incorporation. However, chronic PMA treatment caused the cells to contact-inhibit at a 30% lower cell density, 3.16 x 10(6) vs. 2.1 x 10(6) cells/35-mm plate, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Coordination of deglutition and phases of respiration: effect of aging, tachypnea, bolus volume, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The effects of aging, tachypnea, bolus volume, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the coordination of swallowing with the phases of respiration were studied by concurrent respirography and submental surface electromyography. Study findings showed that in young healthy volunteers, during rest, there is preferential coupling of subconscious swallowing with the expiratory phase of continuous respiration. This preferential coupling of swallowing with expiration was found to increase relative to other phases of respiration during water swallows and tachypnea (P < 0.05). Respiratory phase occurrence of swallowing and postdeglutitive resumption of respiration during exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found to be significantly different compared with the basal state (P < 0.05). Respiratory phase occurrence of subconscious swallowing in the elderly was found to be different from the young (P < 0.05). Position had no significant effect on the coordination of swallowing and phases of respiration. We concluded that in resting young volunteers the majority of deglutitions are coupled with the expiratory phase of swallowing. This coupling is increased in frequency by the presence of a liquid bolus and tachypnea. And finally, age and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease alter this coordination significantly.


Caco-2 cell transfection by rat intestinal alkaline phosphatase cDNA increases surfactant-like particles.

The rat enterocyte produces a particle with surfactant-like properties (including a whorled appearance, enrichment for dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine, and ability to lower surface tension) that also is enriched for intestinal alkaline phosphatase. Human Caco-2 cells grown on polycarbonate filters were utilized to study the secretion of these particles and exhibited whorls and strands of unilamellar membranes, particularly concentrated at the apical pole or near junctional complexes. Concentrated culture medium from these cells separated on continuous NaBr gradients revealed a fraction at density = 1.07 g/l enriched for phosphatidylcholine and intestinal alkaline phosphatase. This fraction contained membranous sheets containing alkaline phosphatase, detected by immunolocalization. Phosphatidylcholine comprised 54% of phospholipid in this fraction, compared with 20% in brush borders. When Caco-2 cells were transfected with cDNA encoding rat intestinal alkaline phosphatase, cellular phosphatase activity increased twofold, but activity in the medium increased 14-fold to > 200 (average 32)-fold. Ultrastructurally, compared with mock-transfected cells or cells transfected with human placental alkaline phosphatase, transfection with rat intestinal alkaline phosphatase cDNA led to intracellular and extracellular accumulation of surfactant-like particles. We conclude that surfactant-like particles are produced by Caco-2 cells, and their production can be enhanced by transfection with a cDNA encoding a protein known to be associated with such particles.


Organic cation transport by rat liver plasma membrane vesicles: studies with tetraethylammonium.

Recently, an organic cation:H+ antiport was selectively identified on the sinusoidal domain of rat liver with the use of the endogenous organic cation N1-methylnicotinamide (NMN). Absence of NMN+:H+ exchange on canalicular membrane suggested that this transport process was primarily involved in organic cation uptake, leaving the mechanism(s) for organic cation secretion into bile unknown. To further define hepatic organic cation transport, we examined the characteristics of tetraethylammonium (TEA) transport in basolateral (blLPM) and canalicular (cLPM) rat liver plasma membrane vesicles. In cLPM vesicles, under voltage-clamped conditions, an outwardly directed H+ gradient stimulated [14C]TEA uptake compared with [14C]TEA uptake under pH-equilibrated conditions, consistent with electroneutral TEA:H+ exchange. The proton ionophore carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone had no effect on [14C]TEA uptake, demonstrating that pH-dependent [14C]TEA uptake was not the result of a H+ diffusion potential. In the absence of a pH gradient, the intravesicular presence of TEA trans-stimulated uptake of [14C]TEA. Procainamide ethobromide (PAEB), vecuronium, and tributylmethylammonium (TBuMA), organic cations selectively excreted in bile, cis-inhibited pH-dependent TEA uptake. In contrast, in blLPM vesicles, no pH gradient-dependent [14C]TEA uptake was demonstrated. Instead, basolateral [14C]TEA uptake was significantly stimulated by a valinomycin-induced intravesicular-negative K+ diffusion potential. Basolateral [14C]TEA uptake was also cis-inhibited by PAEB, vecuronium, and TBuMA, but not by NMN. Conversely, PAEB, vecuronium, and TBuMA had no effect on basolateral pH-dependent [3H]NMN uptake. These findings suggest that organic cation transport, with TEA as a model quaternary amine, across the canalicular membrane is driven by an electroneutral organic cation:H+ exchange and that the transport of certain organic cations across the basolateral membrane is via a carrier-mediated system stimulated by an inside-negative membrane potential.


Biomechanical properties of duodenal wall and duodenal tone during phase I and phase II of the MMC.

We used a new method, impedance planimetry, to look at variations in compliance, tone, and distension-induced peristaltic activity during phase I and phase II of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) in the human duodenum. A balloon was inflated stepwise with pressures up to 30 cmH2O in the duodenum, while the pressure and balloon cross-sectional area (CSA) were measured simultaneously. The biomechanical wall parameters were calculated from these measurements. Nine duodenal phase IIIs were recorded in six subjects. A balloon pressure of 20 cmH2O induced a smaller CSA in early phase I [266 (236-324) mm2] than in late phase II [385 (276-474) mm2] (P < 0.05). Balloon distensions elicited no contractions in phase I, whereas they increased contractile activity 60% (P < 0.05) proximal to the balloon and 4% distal to the balloon in late phase II. Step distensions in phase I with balloon pressures between 10 and 30 cmH2O increased the CSA from 40 (30-81) to 645 (603-704) mm2. It increased circumferential wall tension from 35 (28-63) to 429 (402-466) mm x cmH2O and the pressure elastic modulus from 9.7 (9.0-14.7) to 33.8 (27.6-33.8) cmH2O, respectively. Thus compliance differs from phase I to phase II. This is most likely caused by increased smooth muscle tone during phase I. Duodenal wall stiffness increases with the balloon pressure applied.


Limitations of laser-Doppler velocimetry and reflectance spectrophotometry in estimating gastric mucosal blood flow.

This study investigated the accuracy of laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDV) and reflectance spectrophotometry (RS) measurements as an index of blood flow in the gastric mucosa of the rat, in experimental conditions such as pharmacologically induced vasoconstriction, hypoxia, hyperoxia, and acute normovolemic anemia. Hydrogen gas clearance was used as a reference method. After vasopressin infusion, LDV signal and indexes of hemoglobin (IHb) and oxygen (ISO2) content in the gastric mucosa estimated by RS significantly decreased in parallel with the reduction of gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF). Neither hypoxia (5% O2 administration) nor hyperoxia (100% O2) affected GMBF or LDV signal. However, both IHb and ISO2 significantly decreased or increased after hypoxia or hyperoxia, respectively. Acute normovolemic anemia induced a significant increase in GMBF, while LDV signal and ISO2 remained unchanged. IHb significantly decreased in linear relationship with the decrements in the hematocrit. It is concluded that 1) in pharmacologically induced GMBF changes, LDV and RS correlate with GMBF; 2) when changes in hemoglobin saturation are induced, LDV but not RS reflects GMBF; and 3) in acute normovolemic anemia, neither LDV nor RS reflects changes in GMBF.


Sodium- and chloride-conductive pathways in cultured mouse tracheal epithelium.

The utility of a transgenic murine model of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease will likely depend on whether the mouse's proximal airway epithelium is characterized by Na(+)- and Cl(-)-conductive pathways comparable to those found in human airways. Therefore, the electrophysiological properties of primary cultures of mouse tracheal epithelium (MTE) were investigated using double-barreled, Cl(-)-selective microelectrodes. Epithelial cells isolated from freshly excised mouse tracheae formed confluent polarized monolayers on permeable collagen supports and developed significant transepithelial potential differences (approximately -10 mV) within 5-6 days postseeding. Under basal conditions, the MTE monolayers had an equivalent short-circuit current (Ieq) of -21.1 +/- 2.1 microA/cm2 and a transepithelial resistance of 424 +/- 49 omega.cm2. Intracellular measurements indicated that the apical (Va) and basolateral (Vb) membrane potential differences were -16.9 +/- 1.5 and -25.4 +/- 1.5 mV, respectively; apical membrane fractional resistance was 0.36 +/- 0.03; and intracellular Cl- activity was 56.1 +/- 2.3 mM. The presence of an apical Na+ conductance was demonstrated by luminal amiloride application (10(-4)M), which decreased Ieq, hyperpolarized Va, and increased the fractional resistance of the apical membrane. The presence of an apical Cl- conductance was demonstrated by substitution of Cl- with gluconate in the luminal bath, which decreased intracellular Cl- activity and increased the fractional resistance of the apical membrane. Luminal application of ATP (10(-4) M was also found to increase the rate of Cl- secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Differential systemic and intrapulmonary TNF-alpha production in Candida sepsis during immunosuppression.

Candida albicans (CA) increasingly causes septic shock, acute lung injury, and multiple organ damage during immunosuppression-related neutropenia. However, the effects of neutrophil (PMN) depletion on induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) by CA and its potential mediation of Candida septic shock are unknown. We hypothesized that reduced CA uptake by circulating PMNs during cyclophosphamide (CY)-related neutropenia sensitizes to TNF-mediated shock from enhanced cytokine production after phagocytosis by tissue macrophages. Absolute or relative neutropenia (PMNs < or = 500/microliters or 2,500/microliters) was modeled in rats by intraperitoneal CY 4-8 days before 10(9) yeast-phase CA (acute studies < or = 24 h, n = 81 animals) or 10(6) CA (subacute studies < or = 72 h, n = 25). Compared with neutrophil-sufficient rats, absolute neutropenia accelerated hemodynamic collapse and respiratory distress after 10(9) CA, and pulmonary microvascular permeability was amplified. These changes evolved without increased candidemia or elevations in bioactive or antigenic serum TNF, which remained low even at death (42.3 +/- 14.8 U/ml vs. 12.6 +/- 2.9 U/ml for CY + saline, means +/- SE, P = NS). In contrast, significant TNF in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was evident within 6 h in CY + 10(9) CA rats. Electron microscopy confirmed hyphal proliferation into alveoli from yeast within mononuclear cells in lung capillaries. Subacute disseminated candidiasis after 10(6) CA was not associated with elevated serum, lung, or BALF TNF. We conclude that differential systemic and intrapulmonary TNF production occur in CA septic shock during preexisting neutropenia, with compartmentalized TNF production in the lower respiratory tract accompanying yeast-mycelial transformation. Thus TNF is not an obligate mediator of acute candidemic shock or subacute disseminated candidiasis during CY-induced immunosuppression but may initiate pulmonary injury accompanying high-grade candidemia.


Expression and regulation of human pulmonary fibroblast-derived monocyte chemotactic peptide-1.

Monocyte recruitment is essential for maintenance of normal pulmonary macrophage populations. In addition, acute and chronic inflammatory pulmonary diseases are associated with sequestration of mononuclear phagocytes in the lung. Although alveolar macrophages (AM phi) can secrete a number of potent inflammatory and chemoattractment mediators, these immune cells do not produce monocyte chemotactic peptide (MCP-1) in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), or interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). The pulmonary fibroblast (PF) may play a pivotal role in monocyte recruitment. In these studies, we demonstrate a time- and dose-dependent production of PF-derived steady-state MCP-1 mRNA, MCP-1 antigen, and monocyte chemotactic bioactivity attributable to MCP-1. In cellular models examining cytokine networks between AM phi and PF, LSP-stimulated AM phi (conditioned media) induced PF-derived steady-state MCP-1 mRNA expression that was markedly attenuated by the presence of neutralizing TNF and IL-1 beta antibodies. Furthermore, we showed the dose- and time-dependent suppression of IL-1 beta-stimulated PF-derived MCP-1 by dexamethasone and prostaglandin E2. These findings demonstrated that PF are an important cellular source of MCP-1 and this production of MCP-1 may be influenced by immunomodulators.


Murine pulmonary surfactant SP-A gene: cloning, sequence, and transcriptional activity.

SP-A is an abundant pulmonary surfactant-associated protein whose expression is controlled in a cell- and developmental-specific manner. To analyze regulation of SP-A gene expression, the murine SP-A gene was cloned and sequenced. The murine DBA/2J gene was approximately 4.6 kb in length comprised of six exons and five introns. Three mRNAs of 3.0, 1.7, and 0.9 kb were detected by Northern blot analysis of murine lung mRNA. Expression of the SP-A mRNAs was first detected at day 15 of gestation and increased dramatically before birth. A single SP-A gene was detected in the DBA/2J mouse genome. SP-A mRNA was detected in lung but not in the gastrointestinal tract, kidney, brain, liver, or heart and was detected by in situ hybridization in bronchial and alveolar cells of the murine lung. Primer extension analysis with a primer to exon three revealed two extension products differing by 9 bp in length, suggesting two closely juxtaposed transcription initiation sites. Chimeric gene(s) containing 1.8 kb of 5' SP-A sequences and the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene were expressed in pulmonary adenocarcinoma cells and in HeLa cells. Expression of the murine SP-A gene is partially controlled by non-cell-selective transcriptionally active sequences.


Role and mechanism of thromboxane-induced proliferation of cultured airway smooth muscle cells.

Thromboxane (Tx)A2 has been reported to play an important role in modulating airway contractility under various conditions associated with airways inflammation. To identify its potential role in contributing to airway smooth muscle (ASM) hyperplasia, a characteristic feature of asthmatic airways, the mitogenic effect and mechanism of action of TxA2 were investigated in cultured rabbit ASM cells. The stable TxA2 mimetics, carbocyclic TxA2 (CTA2) and U-46619, elicited dose-dependent (10(-12) to 10(-6) M) increases in ASM cell number and induced acute augmentation of intracellular inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate accumulation. The latter action was blocked by neomycin, a phospholipase C inhibitor; however, neomycin had no effect on the promitogenic action of the TxA2 mimetics. In contrast, TxA2-induced ASM cell proliferation was inhibited by inhibitors of phospholipase A2 and 5-lipoxygenase, as well as blockade of the leukotriene (LT)D4 receptor. Moreover, in complementary studies, we found that exogenous administration of LTD4 (10(-14) to 10(-6) M) potently induced ASM cell proliferation and that the TxA2 mimetics evoked the enhanced release of endogenous leukotrienes from the cultured ASM cells. Taken together, these observations provide new evidence that 1) TxA2 stimulates ASM cell proliferation; 2) the promitogenic effect of TxA2 is associated with activation of phospholipase A2; and 3) the latter mediates ASM cell proliferation via the release and autocrine mitogenic action of leukotrienes. The findings support a potential role for TxA2 in contributing to the characteristic increase in ASM cell mass obtained in asthma and other chronic airway diseases.


Characteristics of magnetically separated rat tracheal epithelial cell populations.

A simple magnetic separation technique has been developed using lectins specific for two of the cell types found in the tracheal mucosa. The resulting populations of basal and secretory cells were examined for proliferative capacity in culture and in vivo. The basal cell fraction contains the cells that proliferate in culture and respond to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. In addition, the basal cell fraction exhibited the highest proliferative capacity in vivo during the first few days after transplantation. Repopulation of inverted intestinal segments showed that only with suspensions containing a significant proportion of basal cells could a mucociliary lining be established. Segments receiving the same number of unsorted or predominantly mucous secreting cells did not repopulate in vivo. These data support the hypothesis that the basal cell is most likely the stem cell of the tracheal epithelium.


Methylene blue inhibits neurogenic cholinergic vasodilator responses in the pulmonary vascular bed of the cat.

The effects of methylene blue, an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, on pulmonary vasodilator responses to efferent vagal stimulation were investigated in the intact-chest cat under conditions of controlled blood flow and constant left atrial pressure. In animals pretreated with reserpine or phenoxybenzamine, under elevated tone conditions, efferent vagal stimulation at frequencies of 2-16 Hz caused stimulus-frequency-dependent decreases in lobar arterial pressure and pulmonary lobar vascular resistance. The vasodilator response to vagal stimulation was reproducible, blocked by atropine, and reduced by methylene blue. Intralobar infusion of methylene blue increased lobar arterial pressure without significantly altering systemic arterial or left atrial pressure. Methylene blue had no significant effect on vasodilator responses to isoproterenol, albuterol, atriopeptin III, lemakalim, adenosine, ATP, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide-27 but significantly decreased vasodilator responses to acetylcholine, nitric oxide (NO), sodium nitroprusside, and the S-nitrosothiol, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine. The effects of methylene blue on responses to vagal stimulation were reversible and were similar with the addition of a NO synthase inhibitor. The present data suggest that vasodilator responses to cholinergic nerve stimulation involve an increase in the production of guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate in the pulmonary vascular bed. These results provide additional evidence to support the hypothesis that neurogenically released acetylcholine induces endothelium-dependent, muscarinic, guanylate cyclase-mediated vasodilation.


Quantitation of alveolar distribution of liposome-entrapped antioxidant enzymes.

Liposome-encapsulated Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD) and catalase (CAT) were instilled intratracheally in rabbits, and the temporal and spatial distribution of Cu,Zn SOD and CAT within the lung was assessed at the organ and cellular levels. Specific activities of Cu,Zn SOD and CAT were increased in both lung homogenates and isolated alveolar type II pneumocytes. Peak Cu,Zn SOD activities in lung homogenates and alveolar type II cells were observed 4 h after liposome instillation and returned to control levels by 24 h, whereas CAT activities remained significantly above controls. There were no significant differences in liposome distribution or antioxidant enzyme uptake among lung lobes. The distribution of fluorescently labeled Cu,Zn SOD and CAT was assessed with the use of epifluorescence microscopy and digital image processing to determine patterns of cellular incorporation of liposome-entrapped Cu,Zn SOD and CAT within the lung. Although the mean fluorescence intensity of alveoli from rabbits instilled with liposomes containing labeled Cu,Zn SOD and CAT was greater than autofluorescence observed with either no liposome or empty liposome instillation, fluorescence intensity varied between adjacent alveoli. Both fluorescently labeled Cu,Zn SOD and CAT were located cytosolically, and uptake was not limited to alveolar type II pneumocytes. These results demonstrate that a single intratracheal instillation of liposomes can effect increases in Cu,Zn SOD and CAT activities in distal lung cells, including alveolar type I and type II cells and macrophages.


Stretching increases calcium influx and efflux in cultured pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells.

To determine the effect of a single static stretch on calcium fluxes in cultured pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC), calcium influx and efflux were evaluated in PASMC on a collagen-coated silicone membrane using 45Ca2+ as a tracer. A single 20% linear stretch of the silicone membrane of 1 min in duration increased calcium uptake by 71%. This effect was partially inhibited by verapamil or gadolinium, but was not altered by staurosporine, pertussis toxin, or removal of extracellular sodium. Stretch-stimulated calcium uptake attenuated over time, such that uptake during the last minute of a 5-min sustained stretch was 46% of that during the first minute of stretch. A single 20% stretch sustained for 6 min caused a 47% increase in calcium efflux, the magnitude of which was linearly related to the degree of cell stretch. Gadolinium and removal of extracellular calcium each partially inhibited stretch-induced calcium efflux. We conclude that a single static stretch of PASMC causes increases in both calcium influx and efflux. Stretch-stimulated calcium influx does not require sodium influx and is mediated in part by a pathway sensitive to both gadolinium and verapamil. Stretch-stimulated calcium efflux is due to both calcium influx via a gadolinium-sensitive pathway and mobilization of intracellular stores. Because calcium is a key cellular second messenger, these effects of stretch on cellular calcium handling may play a role in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype and function.


Surfactant protein C is recycled from the alveoli to the lamellar bodies.

To clarify the life cycle of surfactant protein C (SP-C), we obtained alveolar surfactant from 3-day-old rabbits killed 15 h after the tracheal administration of 32P and L-[35S]methionine. Small amounts of this surfactant were administered into the tracheas of 3-day-old rabbits, which were killed after 1 min and 2 and 4 h. We then analyzed the radioactivity associated with SP-C and with saturated phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) in lung lavage fluid and in a lamellar body-rich fraction isolated from the lung homogenate. We found that SP-C and DPPC are both taken up from the alveolar spaces and incorporated into lamellar bodies, but the time courses of reuptake are different. Our results indicate that in the alveoli SP-C is turned over faster than DPPC.


Pathways for glucose transport in type II pneumocytes freshly isolated from adult guinea pig lung.

Previous in vivo studies of sugar transport across the mature pulmonary epithelium have provided evidence for the existence of a specific phlorizin-inhibitable, sodium-dependent transport process for D-glucose, although no direct evidence for the cellular location of this transport system in fresh cells has been shown to date. With the use of elastase digestion and lectin agglutination, a pure preparation of type II alveolar epithelial cells was isolated from adult guinea pig lung. This preparation always contained >90% type II cells and typically showed approximately 85% cell viability 2-3 h after the isolation procedure had begun. At 37 degrees C, cells showed specific [3H]phlorizin binding that was attenuated by D-glucose and completely abolished by sodium replacement. Substantial accumulation of the hexose [14C]methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside (14C-labeled AMG), a substrate specific for the sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter was found in the presence of extracellular sodium; this accumulation above equilibrium was abolished on removal of sodium, addition of phlorizin, or in the presence of a saturating concentration (69 mM) of D-glucose. The apparent inhibition constant (Ki) for glucose inhibition of AMG uptake was 0.4 mM and for phlorizin, 0.5 microM. The Hill plot of sodium activation of AMG uptake gave a coefficient of 2.8, suggesting cooperativeness between sodium and AMG transport. 3-O-[14C]methyl-D-glucose (3-OMG) transport was also blocked by phlorizin. Phloretin, in the presence of phlorizin, slowed the initial rate of entry but did not affect the equilibrium that was attained in the presence of phlorizin alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Protective and specificity-conferring mechanisms of mineralocorticoid action.

Several experiments using both the in vivo rat bioassay and the isolated toad bladder preparation have been reported that lend support to the hypothesis that the enzyme 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-OHSD), in mineralocorticoid (MC) target tissues, acts as a "protective" mechanism that prevents endogenous glucocorticoids (GCs) from causing MC receptor-mediated effects on Na+ and K+. Additional experiments have also indicated that a second distinct protective mechanism exists that prevents endogenous MCs from eliciting excessive MC receptor-mediated Na+ retention. This second protective mechanism may involve steroid-metabolizing enzymes other than 11 beta-OHSD. Since the specific GC agonist, RU28362, can elicit Na+ retention and K+ secretion, it is possible that a third protective mechanism exists whereby renal 11 beta-OHSD prevents endogenous GCs from eliciting GC receptor-mediated effects on Na+ and K+.


Induction and intracellular localization of HSP-72 after renal ischemia.

To determine whether heat shock proteins (HSPs) might be active in cellular recovery following transient ischemia, we examined rat kidneys for 70-kDa HSP (HSP-70) mRNA expression, protein elaboration, and intracellular localization after 45 min of renal ischemia and reflow of 15 min, 2, 6, and 24 h. Inducible HSP-70 mRNA is present at 15 min of reperfusion, peaks between 2 and 6 h, and falls by 24 h. Inducible 72-kDa HSP (HSP-72) protein accumulates progressively through 24 h and is found in both soluble and microsomal fractions following ischemia. Within proximal tubules, immunofluorescent localization of HSP-72 is restricted to the apical domain at 15 min, is dispersed through the cytoplasm in a vesicular pattern at 2 and 6 h, and has migrated away from the apical domain at 24 h. A portion of the vesicular HSP-72 is associated with lysosomes; no intranuclear HSP-72 is detected. The course of mRNA induction, protein elaboration, and HSP-72 localization coincides with previously described changes in proximal tubule morphology and polarity following sublethal ischemic injury. HSP-72 may be instrumental in cellular remodeling and restitution of epithelial polarity during recovery from ischemic renal injury.


Macrophages mediate adverse effects of cholesterol feeding in experimental nephrosis.

We tested whether the deleterious effects of hypercholesterolemia, in a progressive glomerular disease model, may be mediated by infiltrating renal macrophages. A single sublethal dose of whole body X-irradiation (XI) delivered to rats with acute puromycin aminonucleoside (PA) nephrosis fed a high-cholesterol (HC) diet resulted in significantly greater inulin and p-aminohippurate (PAH) clearances at 11 days after PA without any alterations in circulating lipid levels, in contrast to nonirradiated HC-fed nephrotic controls. This functional protection was associated with significant declines in both glomerular and cortical interstitial macrophage number. Over the course of this 16-wk model, HC-fed PA rats had significantly less albuminuria as well as significantly fewer glomerulosclerosis (GS) lesions and less mesangial matrix expansion at the end of the study despite an equivalent degree of sustained hypercholesterolemia. This data suggests that reducing the infiltrating glomerular and cortical interstitial macrophage burden with XI during acute PA nephrosis, unaccompanied by any hypolipidemic effect, produces not only early salutary effects on renal function but also a significant amelioration of the progressive glomerulopathic features of this model. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the infiltrating renal macrophage, in large part, directly mediates the adverse effects of hypercholesterolemia in this model.


Chloride transport in a mathematical model of the rat proximal tubule.

The proximal tubule model of this laboratory [Am. J. Physiol. 250 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 19): F860-F873, 1986] has been updated to examine proposed pathways for Cl- transport. Two additional buffer pairs have been added, i.e., HCO2-/H2CO2 and NH3/NH4+. At the luminal cell membrane Cl-/HCO2- and Cl-/HCO3- exchange are considered as pathways for Cl- entry, whereas at the peritubular membrane, Cl- exit occurs by either Na(+)-2HCO3-/Cl- exchange or K(+)-Cl- cotransport. Calculations with this model indicate that absolute proximal reabsorption of both Na+ and Cl- are critically dependent on the rate of luminal Na+/H+ exchange. In contrast, increases in the coefficient for Cl-/HCO2- exchange have little impact on overall Cl- flux, but, by enhancing base secretion, limit the depression of end-proximal HCO3-. Model calculations confirm those of Preisig and Alpern (J. Clin. Invest. 83: 1859-1867, 1989) showing that their measured value of luminal membrane H2CO2 permeability is inadequate to sustain the transcellular Cl- flux as Cl-/HCO2- exchange. Conversely, with sufficiently high H2CO2 permeability, luminal Cl- uptake is enhanced along the tubule, as HCO2- secretion and luminal acidification increase luminal H2CO2 to values severalfold greater than in glomerular filtrate. At the basolateral membrane, the thermodynamic driving force across the Na(+)-2HCO3-/Cl- exchanger is small. Although its contribution to steady-state Cl- exit may be less than the K(+)-Cl- cotransporter, the Na(+)-2HCO3-/Cl- exchanger can be a mechanism by which cytosolic acidification enhances peritubular Cl- transport, when luminal acidification enhances luminal Cl- uptake. A simulation is presented in which impermeant replacement of luminal Na+ leads to enhanced convective Cl- flux across the tight junction and alkalinization of the lateral interspace. In this setting, cytosolic Cl- depletion via the Na(+)-2HCO3-/Cl- exchanger may mimic luminal membrane Na(+)-Cl- cotransport.


Rat kidney aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase and polyol production in rat kidney.

Mounting evidence indicates that aldose reductase catalyzed reduction of excess glucose to sorbitol initiates the onset of certain diabetic complications. However, the kidney contains a large amount of aldehyde reductase, another NADPH-dependent reductase. The study was designed to assess the importance of these reductases to sugar alcohol (polyol) production in the kidney. To study the ability to reduce aldoses to polyols, both aldose and aldehyde reductases were purified from rat kidneys. Incubation studies with purified enzymes clearly demonstrated the polyol formation by both enzymes. Galactose feeding induced polyol accumulation in both medulla and cortex of the rat kidney. Al 1576, a potent inhibitor of both enzymes, reduced this polyol accumulation in both cortex and medulla, while the selective inhibitors Ponalrestat or FK 366 resulted in greater inhibition in medulla than cortex. These results suggest that kidney polyols may be generated by both aldose and aldehyde reductases and that aldehyde reductase contributes to polyol production in the kidney cortex, the predominant site of diabetes-linked kidney lesions.


Epidermal growth factor accelerates renal tissue repair in a model of gentamicin nephrotoxicity in rats.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a potent mitogen for renal tubular cells that possess specific high-affinity binding sites for this polypeptide. However, actual function of EGF within the kidney remains to be elucidated. We evaluated the effect of exogenous EGF administration on the rate of tubular regeneration in an experimental model of gentamicin (GT) nephrotoxicity. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized, and a miniosmotic pump filled with mouse EGF or saline was implanted subcutaneously. Twenty-four hours later, GT (40 mg.kg-1 x 12 h-1 ip) was given for 4 and 8 days. Groups of treated animals and controls were killed either the day after cessation of treatment (days 5 and 9) or 4 and 8 days after the end of 8-day GT administration (days 12 and 16). Cortical GT levels of groups killed at days 5, 9, 12, and 16 were similar in animals infused with saline or EGF. Serum creatinine levels were significantly higher in GT-treated animals infused with EGF or saline and killed at days 9 and 12 compared with saline-treated animals infused with EGF or saline alone (P < 0.01). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) also increased as a result of GT administration. However, in animals receiving GT and EGF and killed at day 16, mean BUN level was significantly lower (P < 0.01) compared with rats dosed with GT alone. In treated rats, the extent of tubular regeneration, evaluated by the rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation into renal cortical DNA or by the frequency of S-phase cells (histoautoradiography), was increased in a dose- and time-dependent fashion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Erythropoietin metabolism and pharmacokinetics in experimental nephrosis.

We studied erythropoietin (EPO) metabolism, regulation, and pharmacokinetics in rats with nephrotic syndrome. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into nephrotic (puromycin-induced) and pair-fed control groups. Animals were studied at baseline and after induction of anemia or exposure to hypobaric conditions (32 cmHg). The nephrotic group showed a reduced hematocrit (P < 0.05), a significant urinary EPO excretion, and an inappropriately low plasma EPO. Induction of anemia and exposure to hypoxia resulted in a less pronounced elevation of plasma EPO in the nephrotic group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The blunted plasma EPO response to hypoxia in nephrotic animals was associated with a marked rise in urinary EPO excretion. Pharmacokinetic studies following intravenous injection of recombinant EPO, 100 U/kg, revealed a shorter plasma half-life (t1/2) (P < 0.05), larger apparent volume of distribution (P < 0.05), and greater clearance (P < 0.02) in the nephrotic group than in the controls. Estimated endogenous EPO production rate in nephrotic rats with severe anemia was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that of equally anemic controls. Thus puromycin-induced nephrotic syndrome is associated with marked urinary loss of EPO, relatively depressed plasma EPO response to anemia and hypoxia, as well as reduced plasma t1/2, increased volume of distribution, and clearance of exogenous EPO.


Renal hemodynamic effects of exogenously administered adenosine and polyadenylic acid.

Steady-state intrarenal arterial infusion of adenosine (Ado) suggests that there may be both afferent and efferent arteriolar actions of Ado. This study attempts to further differentiate vascular sites of action of Ado during an intrarenal infusion of Ado. We measured the filtration fraction (FF) during intrarenal infusion of Ado (33.3 nmol.kg-1 x min-1) in anesthetized dogs to determine its transient actions on renal hemodynamics. FF remained unchanged from preinfusion levels (0.42 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.46 +/- 0.01, respectively) at a time when renal blood flow (RBF) was significantly decreased (52 +/- 6% of control). During steady state, RBF was 96 +/- 5% of control, while FF was significantly decreased from control (0.27 +/- 0.02). To determine whether vasoconstriction and dilation to Ado are mediated by receptors accessible from intra- or extravascular compartments, two Ado analogues [oligoadenylic acid (oligo[A]), mol wt 5,000, and polyadenylic acid (poly[A]), mol wt > 100,000] were injected into the renal artery, and RBF response was compared with that of Ado. Poly[A] produced a transient vasodilation (42 +/- 6% increase in RBF), whereas oligo[A] produced a transient vasoconstriction (25 +/- 5% decrease in RBF). Responses to steady-state infusion of poly[A] (10 nmol.kg-1 x min-1) were determined in 11 anesthetized sodium-depleted dogs. Poly[A] produced a sustained significant increase in RBF from 2.83 +/- 0.31 to 3.92 +/- 0.40 ml.g-1 x min-1. This decrease in renal vascular resistance was blocked by an intrarenal infusion of the Ado antagonist theophylline (0.5 mumol.kg-1 x min-1, 2.68 +/- 0.38 vs. 2.85 +/- 0.38 ml.g-1 x min-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Folate transport and binding by cultured human proximal tubule cells.

Because mechanisms for the renal regulation of folate excretion are poorly understood, a cell culture system representative of the human proximal tubule (HPT) was used for studies of renal folate transport. After confluent cultures of HPT cells were incubated with 3H-labeled folic acid (PteGlu), binding to the apical membrane was determined by an acid removal procedure, and transport was subsequently measured in solubilized cells. Although PteGlu binding was almost all specific (suppressed by excess unlabeled PteGlu), HPT cells transported PteGlu by specific and nonspecific processes. Specific PteGlu binding and transport were both saturable processes, reaching maxima of 0.5 and 0.1 pmol/mg protein, respectively, with half-maximal constants of 12 and 50 nM, respectively. The PteGlu analogues methotrexate and 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-CH3-H4PteGlu) inhibited both the binding and transport of PteGlu, with 5-CH3-H4PteGlu being more potent (lower half-maximal inhibitory concentration). In contrast, 5-formyltetrahydrofolic acid significantly reduced PteGlu transport at concentrations (100-250 nM) that had no effect on binding. These data suggest that the HPT cells will serve as a good model for studies of renal folate reabsorption. Initial characterization of the transport of folate by HPT cells suggests two distinct processes, binding to a high-affinity membrane folate-binding protein followed by a structurally specific transfer into the cell.


Interaction of Cl- and other halogens with Cl- transport systems in rabbit cortical collecting duct.

We have reported that in the rabbit cortical collecting duct (CCD) we can identify electrophysiologically three distinct cell types; the collecting duct (CD) cell and the alpha- and beta-intercalated (IC) cell. To further characterize the Cl- transport properties of each cell type, we examined the interaction between Cl- and other halogens or SCN- in the isolated and perfused CCD by intracellular microelectrode impalement. The rapid depolarization of the basolateral membrane potential (VB) caused by replacement of bath Cl- with each anion revealed that the sequences of apparent halogen selectivity for the basolateral Cl- conductance were similar in all three cell types. The ranking of Cl- > Br- > F- > I- corresponds to the sequence 5 of Eisenman's series, indicating "strong" interaction of the anions with the selectivity site. The basolateral Cl- conductance of these three cell types may share common characteristics, although I- permeability is less in IC cells than in CD cells. Hyperpolarization of the basolateral membrane of the beta-IC cell upon reduction of luminal Cl- reflects alterations in either Cl- entry across the apical membrane, or Cl- exit across the basolateral membrane, or both. Luminal Cl- replacement with each anion showed that the sequence of the hyperpolarization of the basolateral membrane was I- >> cyclamate = SCN- > F- > Br-, suggesting that I-inhibits either apical Cl- entry or basolateral Cl- exit. On the other hand, in the CD cell reduction of the perfusate Cl- by replacement with each anion caused the basolateral membrane to hyperpolarize with a different ranking: cyclamate = F- > I- = SCN- > Br-.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Localization of urea and ornithine production along mouse and rabbit nephrons: functional significance.

Hydrolysis of arginine into urea and ornithine (Orn) was observed to take place in several segments of the rat nephron including cortical and medullary pars recta of the proximal tubule (PST) and collecting duct (CD). This work was now extended to the adult mouse and rabbit. Representative nephron segments, obtained by microdissection of collagenase-treated kidneys, were incubated with L-[guanido-14C]arginine (216 microM). Addition of urease produced 14CO2 + 2 NH3 from the newly formed urea released in the incubate. 14CO2 was trapped in KOH and counted. In both species, as well as in the rat, the PST was the site of the highest urea + Orn production, with an intensity increasing from cortex to medulla. For other nephron segments, the pattern was not similar in all species. Significant production of urea + Orn was observed in the proximal convoluted tubule and the medullary thick ascending limb in the rabbit, but not in the CD of either the rabbit or the mouse. The functional significance of this urea + Orn production remains unclear. The total amount of urea generated intrarenally by this reaction does not seem sufficient to play a significant role in the urinary concentrating mechanism. It may be assumed that Orn could be further metabolized to polyamines and play a role in maintaining cell integrity and function in the PST, especially in its medullary part, exposed to hypertonicity and poor oxygen supply.


Effects of ATP on pre- and postglomerular juxtamedullary microvasculature.

Based on evidence that extracellular ATP can influence vascular smooth muscle function in other organ systems, experiments were conducted to characterize the responsiveness of rat juxtamedullary microvascular segments to ATP. Experiments were performed using the in vitro blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron preparation combined with video microscopy. Pentobarbital-anesthetized rats were pretreated with enalaprilat (2 mg iv) for 30 min before the right kidney was isolated and prepared for study. Renal perfusion pressure was set at 110 mmHg and held constant. Under control conditions, afferent and efferent arteriolar diameters averaged 19.9 +/- 1.4 (n = 19) and 21.6 +/- 1.2 microns (n = 10), respectively. Superfusion with 1, 10, and 100 microM ATP solutions induced sustained dose-dependent afferent vasoconstriction of 8.3 +/- 1.4, 12.8 +/- 1.7, and 12.1 +/- 2.1%, respectively (P < 0.01). Afferent vasoconstrictor responses to ATP were also observed during adenosine receptor blockade. In contrast, efferent arterioles were unresponsive to ATP stimulation even at concentrations as high as 100 microM (P > 0.05). Arcuate and interlobular arterial diameters averaged 82.0 +/- 15.7 (n = 5) and 43.4 +/- 4.5 microns (n = 6), respectively, during control conditions and responded to ATP treatment with a transient vasoconstriction followed by a gradual return to control diameter. Interlobular arteries exhibited a sustained constriction only at the 100 microM concentration (P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that afferent arterioles are more responsive to ATP treatment than other renal microvascular segments and suggest the presence of ATP-sensitive P2x purinoceptors on pre- but not postglomerular juxtamedullary microvascular elements.


Comparative sensitivities of isolated rat renal arterioles to endothelin.

The specific intrarenal sites and mechanism of endothelin (ET) vascular action are controversial. In this study afferent (AA) and efferent arterioles (EA) were isolated from the kidneys of normal Sprague-Dawley rats. Their respective concentration-dependent changes in lumen diameter in response to ET-1 were compared with those of angiotensin II (ANG II) and norepinephrine (NE). In a second series of experiments, the duration of vasoconstriction to comparable transient submaximal ET-1, ANG II, and NE concentrations in AA and EA was examined. The role of angiotensin II in mediating endothelin vasoconstriction also was examined with the converting-enzyme inhibitor captopril (CAP) and the competitive inhibitor [Sar1,Ala8]ANG II (SAR). The half-maximal constriction concentration (EC50) of ET-1 was less in EA than AA (P < 0.01). EC50 of ET-1 in AA was similar to that of ANG II, but was less than that of NE (P < 0.001). In EA the EC50 of ET-1 was also similar to that of ANG II, but much less than that of NE (P < 0.001). In both AA and EA the duration of ET-1 constriction was at least twice that of ANG II and more than fivefold that of NE. Neither CAP (10(-6) M) nor SAR (10(-7) M) changed the vasoconstrictor response to submaximal concentrations of ET-1 in AA or EA. It is concluded that ET-1 is a potent and prolonged constrictor agonist with a small, but significantly greater, concentration-dependent effect in EA than AA. The constrictor effect of ET-1 does not require ANG II activity.


Arginine augments neither albuminuria nor albumin synthesis caused by high-protein diets in nephrosis.

Dietary protein independently modulates albuminuria (U(Alb)V) and albumin synthesis (AlbSyn) in nephrotic rats. While some amino acids are without effect on renal hemodynamics, arginine (Arg) augments renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate, increases AlbSyn in tissue culture and isolated perfused livers, and could be one specific amino acid causing both decreased glomerular permselectivity and increased AlbSyn. Nephrotic rats were fed 10% casein (LP); 30% casein (HP); 30% casein with the inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (HP + L-NAME); 10% casein supplemented with Arg and amino acids that are Arg precursors of or are derived from Arg (proline, glutamate, and aspartate) in an amount in the increment between 10 and 30% casein (ArgAA); ArgAA supplemented with NH4 acetate to provide a diet isonitrogenous to 30% casein (ArgAA + NH4); or 10% casein plus an incomplete mixture of amino acids (Inc) containing the increment in histidine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine, lysine, glycine, alanine, serine, threonine, cysteine, and methionine provided when the diet was changed from 10 to 30% casein. U(Alb)V increased significantly in HP and by a significantly greater amount in HP + L-NAME, but did not change in LP, ArgAA, or ArgAA + NH4. U(Alb)V tended to increase in Inc, was significantly greater than in LP or in ArgAA + NH4, but less than in HP. AlbSyn ([3H]phenylalanine incorporation) was no different in Inc than in HP, and was significantly greater than in either ArgAA + NH4 or LP. Increased AlbSyn results from increased ingestion of one or more of amino acids in Inc, but not from Arg or its precursors or products or from total dietary nitrogen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Renal innervation plays no role in oxygen-dependent control of erythropoietin mRNA levels.

To assess the role of renal innervation in O2-dependent control of erythropoietin (EPO) formation, we have determined EPO mRNA levels in both kidneys of unilaterally denervated rats and sham-operated controls using RNase protection. To investigate whether possible effects of renal nerve input are related to the type of hypoxic stimulus and the degree of stimulation, animals were studied under basal conditions, after exposure to normobaric hypoxia (8% O2, 4 h) or CO (0.1%, 4 h), and after acute hemorrhage (decrease in hematocrit from 40.8 +/- 0.5 to 12.7 +/- 0.5% within 7 h; mean +/- SE, n = 6). Serum EPO levels rose on average 22-, 49-, and 48-fold under the three stimuli and were unaffected by unilateral denervation. Renal EPO mRNA levels in unilaterally denervated animals, when expressed in arbitrary units revealed by comparison with an external standard, were 7.0 +/- 1.5 vs. 6.3 +/- 2.0 (normoxia), 432 +/- 136 vs. 451 +/- 156 (normobaric hypoxia), 971 +/- 93 vs. 930 +/- 120 (CO), and 604 +/- 170 vs. 689 +/- 203 (hemorrhagic anemia) in the intact vs. the denervated kidney (mean +/- SE, n = 3). Furthermore, there was no difference between EPO mRNA levels of either kidney of unilaterally denervated animals and levels in sham-operated controls. We conclude that renal nerve input plays no significant role in the control of the EPO gene under both basal and stimulated conditions.


Estimation of erythropoietin secretion rate in normal and uremic subjects.

We have developed a method for directly estimating the secretion rate of endogenous erythropoietin (EPO) in human subjects. Carrier-free recombinant human EPO was labeled with 125I by the chloramine T method. Human serum albumin was then added prior to removal of free iodide. Seven normal subjects and nine patients with chronic uremia and anemia were studied. Each subject received a bolus of 125I-EPO according to body size and then a constant infusion for 5 h. Secretion rate was calculated as the rate of infusion divided by serum EPO specific activity given by the protein-bound counts divided by the EPO concentration. Serum EPO concentration was significantly higher in the patients than the controls (mean 30.9 pg/ml vs. 11.1 pg/ml, P < 0.05), although all values were within the normal range. Mean EPO secretion rate was 255 in the patients (range 68-1,101) and 190 pg.kg-1 x h-1 in the normal group (range 52-382). This difference was not significant. As the subjects were in a steady state, EPO disappearance/degradation was the same in patients compared with controls despite a relatively hypoplastic marrow.


Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger of rat proximal tubule: gene expression and subcellular localization.

The activity of the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger, a membrane transporter that mediates Ca2+ efflux, has been described in amphibian and mammalian renal proximal tubules. However, demonstration of cell-specific expression of the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger in proximal renal tubules has been restricted to functional assays. In this work, Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger gene expression in rat proximal tubules was characterized by three additional criteria: functional assay of transport activity in membrane vesicles derived from proximal tubules, expression of specific Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger protein detected on Western blots, and determination of specific mRNA encoding Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger protein on Northern blots. A new transport activity assay showed that proximal tubule membranes contained the highest Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger transport activity reported in renal tissues. In dog renal proximal tubules and sarcolemma, a specific protein of approximately 70 kDa was detected, whereas in rat proximal tubules and sarcolemma, the specific protein approximated 65 kDa and was localized to the basolateral membrane. On Northern blots, a single 7-kb transcript isolated from rat proximal tubules, whole kidney, and heart hybridized under high-stringency conditions with rat heart cDNA. These data indicate that Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger protein expressed in rat proximal tubule is similar, if not identical, to the cardiac protein. We suggest that the tubular Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger characterized herein represents the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger described in functional assays of renal proximal tubules.


Age-related changes in alpha 1- and alpha 2-chain type IV collagen mRNAs in adult mouse glomeruli: competitive PCR.

Studies of age-related changes in glomerular extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis in normal mice have been hampered by the difficulty of isolating sufficient numbers of intact glomeruli and by the inability to quantify different mRNA species. The purpose of this study was to identify and quantitate the individual mRNAs coding for alpha 1- and alpha 2-chains of type IV collagen in isolated, single glomeruli of normal mice at different ages. These data on normal ECM synthesis were necessary for the understanding of glomerulosclerosis, a condition characterized by excess deposition of collagen. Pools of freshly microdissected adult mouse glomeruli were reverse transcribed in situ, and alpha 1-IV and alpha 2-IV collagen mRNAs were individually amplified by means of specific primers and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), according to a previously published method. A competitive PCR assay, based on utilization of mutated cDNAs, allowed the reproducible, quantitative, and separate determination of the absolute amounts of both alpha 1-IV and alpha 2-IV mRNAs measured, as their respective cDNAs, in one-tenth of one glomerulus. The levels of alpha 1-IV and alpha 2-IV collagen mRNA were 208 +/- 36.0 x 10(-4) and 161.2 +/- 18.6 x 10(-4) amol/glomerulus in 5-wk-old mice. There were no significant age-related differences at 8, 12, and 24 wk. The mean levels over this period were 60.2 +/- 4.9 x 10(-4) for alpha 1-IV collagen mRNA and 63.9 +/- 5.8 x 10(-4) amol/glomerulus for alpha 2-IV collagen mRNA. Two of three 24-wk-old mice had mild glomerulosclerosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


A study of regional distribution of renal blood flow using quantitative autoradiography.

Quantitative autoradiography utilizing [14C]iodoantipyrine was used to measure regional renal blood flow in anesthetized rats. This technique allowed blood flow in any region of the kidney to be measured with a resolution of 100 microns. There was no significant difference between flow to polar and middle regions of the renal cortex [875 +/- 57 vs. 926 +/- 71 (SE) ml.100 g-1 x mm-1]. Areas of high optical density in renal cortex corresponded to peritubular capillaries. Mean cortical blood flow was three times greater than mean medullary blood flow. Outer medullary blood flow was uniform but significantly higher than inner medullary blood flow (272 +/- 16 vs. 45 +/- 7 ml.100 g-1 x mm-1; P < 0.001).


Organ perfusion by dynamic scintigraphy convection-diffusion tracer kinetics in a phantom.

Dynamic scintigraphy is used widely to evaluate qualitatively the perfusion of an organ. Attempts to quantify blood flow to an organ by means of scintigraphic imaging modalities have often employed assumptions that lead to oversimplifying the physiology of the tracer kinetics. We used a mathematical formalism described by W. Perl and F. P. Chinard (Circ. Res. 22: 273-298, 1968), the convection-diffusion tracer kinetics, model, for parameter evaluation of flow (F) and volume of distribution (V). This modeling methodology was evaluated using a circulatory phantom with absolute flow measured independently by flowmeter. In a series of 22 phantom experiments with F/V < 0.32 s-1, there was a strong correlation between F and flow probe measurement [r = 0.97; slope = 1.08 +/- 0.06 (SE)]. The theoretical analysis comparing this approach with classical tracer kinetics methods explains both the satisfactory results for F/V using mean transit time and the systematic overestimation of F/V using decay constant methods.


Renal expression of the gene for atrial natriuretic factor.

To date, atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) mRNA has eluded detection in the mammalian kidney, although we and others have identified ANF protein in the kidney using immunohistochemical and immunoassay techniques. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the synthesis and secretion of the ANF prohormone in the distal cortical nephron of the intact rat kidney and from rat primary cultured renal distal cortical tubular epithelial cells. In the present study, we show that the ANF gene is expressed in the kidney. Amplification of RNA isolated from rat distal cortical tubular epithelial cultures using ANF specific primers produced a 213-bp fragment that specifically hybridized to a 32P-labeled ANF cDNA. We had previously demonstrated these cultures to be enriched for the renal ANF synthetic and secretory cell type. However, we were unable to detect an ANF gene transcript in total rat kidney RNA using the above-mentioned polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions. Reanalysis of normal rat kidney PCR products by a second round of PCR amplification using nested primers successfully identified ANF mRNA. Similar to cultured kidney epithelial cells, normal rat kidney expresses ANF mRNA, but at a very low abundance, thus necessitating two rounds of PCR amplification. Further characterization of rat cortical distal tubular epithelia poly(A)+ RNA by Northern analysis revealed two ANF gene transcripts. A 1.0-kb message that comigrated with rat atrial ANF mRNA, and a second larger 1.4-kb transcript. These studies further substantiate the synthesis of ANF in the mammalian kidney. Unlike the mammalian heart, the kidney contains two ANF gene transcripts.


Regulatory effect of thromboxane A2 on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells from rats.

We investigated the regulatory effects of the vasoconstrictor thromboxane A2 on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from Wistar-Kyoto rats using 9,11-epithio-11,12-methano-thromboxane A2 (STA2), a stable analogue of thromboxane A2. STA2 dose dependently increased incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA in randomly cycling VSMC and significantly shortened the doubling time. Cell cycle analysis revealed that the increased cell cycle progression was primarily due to a rapid transition from the DNA synthetic (S) to the G2/mitotic (M) phase. Moreover, STA2 enhanced protein synthesis in VSMC during the G2/M phase, whereas the protein synthesis was unaffected in the G0/G1 period. In fact, STA2 prompted the cells in G2/M phase to synthesize actin, a major cytoskeleton protein. Conversely, inhibition of protein synthesis by puromycin retarded the transition from S to G2/M. In addition, depolymerization of the actin molecules by cytochalasin D offset the quick progression to the G2/M phase by STA2. These data indicate that thromboxane A2 stimulates the cell cycle progression in VSMC primarily through a rapid transition from S to G2/M. This enhanced progression is attributable partly to a rapid buildup of the cytoskeleton proteins during the G2/M period.


Hypoxia-elicited contraction of aorta and coronary artery via removal of endothelium-derived nitric oxide.

To characterize endothelium-derived contracting factor 1 (EDCF1) released under hypoxia, vascular rings isolated from spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) aorta and canine coronary artery were suspended for isometric tension recording in an organ chamber filled with a Krebs-Henseleit buffer. In SHR aorta precontracted with norepinephrine (10(-7) M), severe hypoxia induced an initial increase in tension by 36.7 +/- 7.5% followed by a 56.9 +/- 5.7% relaxation; moderate hypoxia induced only a sustained increase in tension by 20.6 +/- 2.5%. Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (10(-3) M) augmented norepinephrine-induced precontraction by 76.1 +/- 12.3% and totally eliminated the hypoxic contraction. In canine coronary arteries precontracted with KCl (30 mM) in the presence of indomethacin (10(-5) M), severe hypoxia caused a sustained increase in tension by 68.9 +/- 7.3%, which was also abolished with L-NAME. When L-NAME (10(-3) M) was given after the precontraction, both of these vessels developed sustained contractions under normoxia and moderate hypoxia. These results suggest that the vasocontraction currently considered to be induced by EDCF1 is not caused by a contracting factor but rather is a contracting phenomenon derived from continuous inhibition of basal NO synthesis during hypoxia.


Spectrum analysis of sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure in conscious rats.

This study tests whether the power spectrum of blood pressure (BP) provides information toward the sympathovagal balance of BP control by comparing the BP (femoral arterial catheter) spectrum with the spectrum of the efferent sympathetic nerve activity (SNA, bipolar electrode around splanchnic nerve). A remarkable resemblance between both spectra was found. A high-frequency component (HF) linked to respiration and a slower fluctuation type between 0.15 and 0.6 Hz (LF) were identified. There was a large and significant coherence only in the HF range of the BP and SNA power spectrum (P < 0.01). The phase lag of SNA and BP was roughly 200 ms. The recordings were repeated during pharmacological blockade in nine Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and nine spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). alpha 1-Adrenoceptor blockade (prazosin) reduced the proportional LF power of BP in both rat strains (WKY P < 0.01, SHR P < 0.05) in favor of HF (WKY P < 0.01, SHR P < 0.01). Parasympathetic blockade (methylscopolamine) had no effect on proportions of power. Similarly, there were no significant differences in the proportional HF and LF power spectra of WKY and SHR. These data provide direct evidence for a relationship between the BP and SNA power spectra; however, only the acute changes in the sympathetic tone changed the LF-HF relationship.


Role of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in ovine fetal pulmonary vascular tone.

To study the potential role of ATP-sensitive K+ (K+ATP) channels in fetal pulmonary vasoregulation, we studied the effect of a K+ATP channel agonist, lemakalim, and antagonist, glibenclamide, on the fetal pulmonary circulation in nine chronically instrumented late-gestation fetal lambs. Left pulmonary artery (LPA) blood flow was measured with an electromagnetic flow transducer. Brief (10 min) infusions of lemakalim at 3, 10, and 30 micrograms/min into the LPA produced dose-dependent increases in flow from 68 +/- 7 to 96 +/- 11, 160 +/- 15, and 204 +/- 34 ml/min, respectively. The duration of pulmonary vasodilation after the 10-min infusions of lemakalim at 3, 10, and 30 micrograms/min was 20 +/- 3, 47 +/- 10, and 55 +/- 15 min, respectively. Pulmonary blood pressure and flow did not change with intrapulmonary infusion of glibenclamide (10 mg), a K+ATP channel antagonist. Lemakalim-induced pulmonary vasodilation was not affected by nitro-L-arginine (10 mg), a competitive inhibitor of endothelium-dependent relaxing factor, but was blocked by glibenclamide. Prolonged (2 h) intrapulmonary infusions of lemakalim (2-6 micrograms/min) increased pulmonary blood flow by 137%. The increase in pulmonary blood flow was sustained throughout the infusion. Systemic and pulmonary arterial pressures decreased during prolonged infusion. We conclude that K+ATP channels are present in the fetal pulmonary circulation, but do not participate in the regulation of basal pulmonary vascular tone. K+ATP channel activation produces sustained vasodilation that is not mediated by endothelium-derived relaxing factor. We speculate that birth-related stimuli activate K+ATP channels to enhance the pulmonary vasodilation that occurs at birth.


Capillary length, tortuosity, and spacing in rat myocardium during cardiac cycle.

Microvascular geometry was evaluated in rat left ventricular midmyocardium (male Sprague-Dawley, n = 14), arrested in systole (S) or diastole (D), by bolus injections of CaCl2 or KCl, respectively. The histological method employed in this study allowed for the visualization of capillary pathways from arteriole to venule. Capillary length, as directly measured from terminal arteriole to collecting venule, was not significantly different between S and D groups, averaging 606 +/- 15 microns (pooled mean +/- SE). The capillary length tortuosity, defined as the ratio of the capillary length to the direct arteriovenous distance, was significantly increased in systolic-arrested hearts (S = 1.31 +/- 0.03; D = 1.18 +/- 0.02, P < 0.01). At the level of individual capillary segments, however, there was no increase in tortuosity in systolic-arrested hearts (S = 1.17 +/- 0.03; D = 1.16 +/- 0.02). Intercapillary spacing was significantly more uniform in systolic-arrested hearts. These data suggest that in systole, capillary length and tortuosity are generally preserved, and capillary spacing is more uniform, serving to maintain geometric conditions for oxygen supply during the cardiac cycle.