Dependence of intestinal glucose absorption on sodium, studied with a new arterial infusion technique

1. A new preparation of isolated rat jejunum plus ileum (ca. 100 cm) is described in which a saline infusate is pumped into the superior mesenteric artery, the superior mesenteric vein having been ligated.2. The arterial infusate washes out the tissue spaces: the lumen is perfused in a single pass with a segmented flow as by Fisher & Gardner (1974).3. At an arterial infusion rate of 3 ml./min, steady states are set up in the tissue fluid within 10-15 min: the compositions of the fluids bathing both sides of the mucosa can therefore be controlled.4. The rate of glucose absorption from the lumen falls only gradually when the luminal sodium is replaced by choline abruptly while the tissue fluid sodium is maintained at 144 m-equiv/l. by arterial infusion.5. The rate of glucose absorption from the lumen is unaffected by replacement of sodium in the arterial infusate by choline.6. Ouabain (10(-4) M) in an arterial infusate containing sodium 144 m-equiv/l. causes inhibition of glucose and water absorption from the lumen. There is no effect of ouabain when the arterial infusate contains sodium, 0 or 72 m-equiv/l.7. Arterial ouabain does not reverse the effects of depletion of luminal sodium. Simultaneous removal of luminal sodium and application of arterial ouabain causes faster inhibition of glucose absorption than does either treatment alone.8. Glucose absorption is more likely to depend on rate of efflux of sodium from mucosal cell to tissue fluid than on a sodium gradient at the brush border or on intracellular sodium concentration.