A modified system for in vitro perfusion of isolated renal tubules

A modified system for the in vitro perfusion of isolated tubule segments is presented. The system consists of four holders each of which carries an acrylic cylinder. The acrylic cylinders are used to fix the glass pipettes in a concentric position. The four holders are mounted onto a support consisting of two holding pieces and three steel rods. Three of the holders contain ball-races so that they can slide on the rods with high accuracy and little friction. The holders to which the sylgard pipette and the perfusion pipette are attached are moved by electric motors. Compared with the classical V-track system this modification has the advantage of higher precision. Once the different pipettes are centered, concentricity is maintained even when the pipettes are moved forward or backward. Thus, this equipment facilitates the cannulation of tubules and increases the number of successful experiments.