Proximal tubule volume regulation in hypo-osmotic media: intracellular K+, Na+, and Cl-

This study sought to measure the net loss of intracellular K+, Na+, and Cl- that accompanied isosmotic cell volume regulation in hypotonic media and to determine if electrolyte loss depended on the rate at which the extracellular osmolality was reduced. Isolated nonperfused proximal S2 segments from rabbit kidney cortex were studied in vitro. Gradual lowering of osmolality from 295 to 150 mOsm/kg at a rate of 2 mOsm/kg/min did not cause an increase in tubule cell volume until the medium osmolality decreased below 190 mOsm/kg. By contrast, tubules rapidly bathed in low osmolality media exhibited classical osmometric swelling followed by incomplete volume regulatory decrease. Volume regulation associated with gradual and rapid lowering of osmolality was accompanied by the net loss of intracellular K+, Na+, and Cl- (measured by electron probe); however, the temporal pattern of electrolyte loss depended on the rate of osmotic change. With gradual lowering of osmolality, cell K+ content did not decrease significantly until osmolality was lowered below 200 mOsm/kg, whereas Cl- was lost at the 200 mOsm/kg level and below. With rapid lowering of osmolality, cell K+ content was strikingly decreased at the 200 mOsm/kg level, but Cl- did not change appreciably until osmolality was decreased to 150 mOsm/kg. Cell Na+ content decreased in hypo-osmotic media, but the magnitude was relatively small. During volume regulation that accompanied either gradual or rapid lowering of medium osmolality from 295 to 150 mOsm/kg, intracellular osmolal gap, the difference between medium osmolality and the sum of intracellular concentrations of K+, Na+, and Cl- decreased 87 and 58 mOsm/kg, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)