N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline, amiloride analogues, and renal Na+/H+ antiporter

N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) is a carboxyl-activating agent and has been shown to inhibit the renal Na+/H+ antiporter. The purposes of the present studies were to characterize the kinetics of inhibition of the Na+/H+ antiporter by EEDQ and to determine whether amiloride analogues affect the ability of EEDQ to inhibit the rate of Na+/H+ exchange. Brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were prepared from rabbit kidneys; Na+/H+ exchange rate was assessed by the fluorescence quenching of acridine orange. EEDQ produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange; the effect was to decrease the maximum activity (Vmax) from 5.51 to 2.03 fluorescence units X mg protein-1 X S-1) and Km (from 14.1 to 8.7 mM) compared with control BBMV. Pretreatment of BBMV with amiloride before the addition of EEDQ maintained both Vmax and Km at values that were not significantly different from those for control BBMV. Compared with a series of analogues, amiloride was only the third most potent inhibitor of the rabbit renal Na+/H+ antiporter; amiloride, however, provided the greatest protection against inhibition of the antiporter by the subsequent addition of EEDQ. These findings suggest that the 2-carbonylguanidininum moiety and 6-chloro atom are important for binding of amiloride to sites at or near the antiporter; the group at position 5 is important in determining the ability of amiloride to protect against inhibition of the Na+/H+ antiporter by EEDQ. Finally, the ability of amiloride to protect against inactivation of the renal Na+/H+ antiporter by EEDQ is reversible.