Bicarbonate-water interactions in the rat proximal convoluted tubule. An effect of volume flux on active proton secretion

The effect of volume absorption on bicarbonate absorption was examined in the in vivo perfused rat proximal convoluted tubule. Volume absorption was inhibited by isosmotic replacement of luminal NaCl with raffinose. In tubules perfused with 25 mM bicarbonate, as raffinose was increased from 0 to 55 to 63 mM, volume absorption decreased from 2.18 +/- 0.10 to 0.30 +/- 0.18 to -0.66 +/- 0.30 nl/mm X min, respectively, and bicarbonate absorption decreased from 131 +/- 5 to 106 +/- 8 to 91 +/- 13 pmol/mm X min, respectively. This bicarbonate-water interaction could not be attributed to dilutional changes in luminal or peritubular bulk phase bicarbonate concentrations. Inhibition of active proton secretion by acetazolamide abolished the effect of volume flow on bicarbonate absorption, which implies that the bicarbonate reflection coefficient is close to 1 and eliminates the possibility of solvent drag across the tight junction. When the luminal bicarbonate concentration was varied, the magnitude of the bicarbonate-water interaction increased with increasing luminal bicarbonate concentration. The largest interaction occurred at high luminal bicarbonate concentrations, where the rate of proton secretion has been previously shown to be independent of luminal bicarbonate concentration and pH. The results thus suggest that a peritubular and/or cellular compartment exists that limits bicarbonate diffusion, and where pH changes secondary to bicarbonate-water interactions (solute polarization) alter the rate of active proton secretion.