Effects of quinacrine on calcium active transport by rat intestinal epithelium

To determine the possible role of acidic lysosomal vesicles in the transcellular transport of Ca, bidirectional Ca fluxes were measured across intestinal segments in vitro in the absence of electrochemical gradients. Mucosal addition of the weak base quinacrine (0.2 mM) caused a 67% decline in the mucosal-to-serosal Ca flux (Jm----s) across duodenum (175 +/- 34 vs. 58 +/- 9 nmol.cm-2.h-1, P less than 0.007) and reduced cecal Ca Jm----s (177 +/- 15 vs. 45 +/- 4, P less than 0.0001). Higher concentrations of up to 2.0 mM caused no further decline in cecal Ca Jm----s. Inhibition of cecal Ca Jm----s by mucosal chloroquine (0.1 mM) or ammonium chloride (10 mM) varied from 37 to 50%. Addition in vitro of quinacrine to enterocyte basolateral membrane vesicles failed to inhibit ATP-dependent Ca uptake. The present studies demonstrate that agents that collapse lysosomal pH gradients inhibit transcellular Ca transport. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that Ca destined for transcellular transport is functionally associated with acidic lysosomes and that these organelles play an important role in transepithelial Ca translocation.