Morphometric analysis of kidney hypertrophy in rats after chronic potassium depletion

Hypertrophic kidney growth in K depletion was analyzed morphometrically in rats fed a K-free diet for 18 days. K excretion decreased rapidly to less than 1% of control, creatinine clearance decreased, and urinary concentrating ability was impaired. Kidney weight in K-depleted rats was 30% higher than in controls. Growth of individual kidney zones was not uniform; hypertrophy of the inner stripe (IS) of the outer medulla was most prominent. Among tubules the most striking enlargement was seen in the outer medullary collecting duct (CD); hypertrophy and hyperplasia of both CD cells and intercalated (IC) cells occurred in the same proportion. In the IS, both luminal and basolateral membrane area per unit tubule length doubled in IC cells and increased 1.2- and 1.7-fold, respectively, in CD cells. Despite overall kidney growth, epithelial volume of thick ascending limb (TAL) per tubule length was unchanged in IS and cortex and only slightly increased in outer stripe. The increased membrane area of CD epithelium in the IS is consistent with previously reported increases in activity of enzymes involved in active reabsorption of K+ and Na+.