Paradoxical potassium depletion: a renal mechanism for extrarenal potassium adaptation

Following nephrectomy and acute potassium loading, animals previously maintained on a high potassium diet have a smaller increment in plasma potassium than do animals on a control diet. The mechanism of this "extrarenal potassium adaptation" is not known. To explore the role of potassium depletion in this process, we studied rats adapted to either a high potassium (HK) or control (C) diet. When dietary potassium was withdrawn, urinary potassium losses in HK rats greatly exceeded those in C rats for at least two days, leading to greater potassium depletion in HK than C animals. A smaller increment in plasma potassium in HK compared to C rats was seen only after prolonged fasting preceded nephrectomy and acute potassium loading. Correction of potassium depletion incurred during fasting abolished extrarenal potassium adaptation. We conclude: after withdrawal of dietary potassium, urinary potassium losses are much greater in HK than in C rats; if the duration of dietary potassium deprivation is sufficient, these urinary potassium losses will cause potassium-adapted animals to paradoxically become more potassium depleted than controls; and this paradoxical potassium depletion may be responsible for extrarenal potassium adaptation.