Creatinine, potassium, and calcium flux from chicken cerebrospinal fluid

Brains of methoxyflurane-anesthetized chickens were perfused from a lateral cerebral ventricle to cisterna magna with an artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) containing trace quantities of radioiodinated human serum albumin (RIHSA) or inulin (1.0 mg/ml) to measure CSF bulk absorption. In addition, it contained either trace quantities of 22Na, 42K, 45Ca or [14C]creatinine; the concentrations of the latter three were varied to determine permeability coefficients (K-D's) as a function of concentration. A mass balance for the tracer molecules was calculated to determine their movement into brain or blood. K-D's for 45Ca, 42K, 22Na, and creatinine (Cr) were unaffected by perfusion time and the latter two were larger than previously reported (3). The lack of effect of time on K-D and the large values for K-D22Na and K-D-Cr are attributed to anesthetic effects on brain blood flow. K-D-Cr and K-D42K were larger than K-D22Na or K-D45Ca and K-D's for 45Ca, Cr, and 42K were independent of their inflow concentrations. An active transport process is suggested for potassium and creatinine, but one that is located at sites other than the ependymal wall. Bulk flow clearance accounted for RIHSA movement from CSF, whereas nonbulk clearance accounted for 50% of 22Na and 45Ca movement and 90% of 42K clearance. Fifty percent of 42K and 25% of 22Na and 45Ca were found in brain. The large recovery of 42K in brain supports the hypothesis that intracellular potassium serves as an exchangeable pool for the tracer.