Amino acid fluxes in rat thin limb segments of Henle's loop during in vitro microperfusion

Amino acids are apparently recycled between loops of Henle and vasa recta in the rat papilla in vivo. To examine more closely papillary amino acid transport, we measured transepithelial fluxes of L-[(14)C]alanine and [(14)C]taurine in thin limbs of Henle's loops isolated from rat papilla and perfused in vitro. In descending thin limbs (DTL) in vitro, unidirectional bath-to-lumen fluxes tended to exceed unidirectional lumen-to-bath fluxes for both radiolabeled amino acids, although the difference was statistically significant only for taurine. In ascending thin limbs (ATL) in vitro, unidirectional lumen-to-bath fluxes tended to exceed unidirectional bath-to-lumen fluxes, although the difference was again statistically significant only for taurine. These results are compatible with apparent directional movements of amino acids in vivo. However, none of the unidirectional fluxes was saturable or inhibitable, an observation compatible with apparent reabsorption from the ATL in vivo but not compatible with apparent movement from vasa recta to DTL in vivo. There was no evidence of net active transepithelial transport when concentrations of radiolabeled amino acids were matched on both sides of perfused tubule segments. These data suggest that regulation of amino acid movement in vivo may involve the vasa recta, not the DTL of Henle's loops. The data also suggest that transepithelial movement of amino acids in thin limbs of Henle's loop may occur via a paracellular route.