Transport of potassium ions in therat's intestine

Transport of potassium by the colon of normal and sodium-depleted rats

1. Ascending and descending segments of colon of normal and Nadepleted rats were perfused with solutions of differing KCl concentration. Net K flux, electrical p.d. and, in some experiments, unidirectional K fluxes were measured.2. Variation of luminal K concentration over the range 0-40 mM did not affect p.d. or K efflux rate.3. K secretion rate fell about 30% when Na-free choline chloride solution was perfused.4. Net flux was a linear function of the luminal K concentration, and fell as the latter increased. Na depletion increased K secretion rate and passive permeability of the mucosa to K. Adrenalectomy had the reverse effect. The luminal K concentration, associated with zero net K flux was much greater than expected if the colonic mucosa behaved passively with respect to K.5. Unidirectional fluxes determined when 5 mM-KCl was in the lumen showed that the ratio influx/efflux was much less than predicted by Ussing's flux ratio equation.6. It was concluded that K influx was due to simple diffusion and K efflux to diffusion and active transport, both processes being increased by Na depletion.

Transport of electrolytes and water in the upper jejunum of the fowl in vivo perfusion

The mechanism(s) of electrolytes (JNa, JC1, JCa and JK) and water transport (JV) were studied in the upper jejunum of the laying hen by an in vivo perfusion procedure. Water secretion is modified by the difference of osmotic pressure between the lumen and plasma and we have estimated the osmotic permeability coefficient (P osm = 17.4 microliter x h-1 x mosm-1 x g-1 DW) and the reflexion coefficient (0.72). At sodium concentrations of 0 and 80 mM x 1-1 in the lumen, there is a large secretion of Na. When the water flow is modified by osmotic pressure, this secretion is markedly influenced by JV. Similarly net chloride flux occurred mainly by solvent drag. Conversely water flow does not modify the large potassium absorption along the concentration gradient and only slightly affects the flux of calcium. Transport of calcium occurred along the gradient of concentration between lumen and plasma without saturation until a lumen concentration of 20 mM x 1-1. This driving force seemed to be the main one since JCa is close to zero when there is no gradient. This observation supports the hypothesis that the variations of net Ca absorption during the laying cycle is due to a modification of concentration of soluble calcium in the contents of the intestine.

Movement of thallium (I) ions in vitro

1. Movement of thallium (I) ions across the mucosal epithelium of descending rat colon, stripped of the muscularis externa in vitro was determined under voltage clamp conditions. 2. The unidirectional fluxes of thallium (I) ions from mucosal to serosal side (M leads to S) and in the opposite direction (S leads to M) were measured at 0 mV. A net flux of thallium (I) ions was observed from serosal to mucosal side (0.216 nmoles . cm-2 . h-1) in other words, the mucosal epithelium is apparently asymmetric for the movement of thallium (I) ions. 3. The investigations were carried out on the range of -30mV up to +30 mV from mucosal to serosal side. Thallium (I) ions move from mucosal to serosal side (M leads to S) by diffusion only (Pi = 0.119 cm.h-1), whereas into the opposite direction (S leads to M) thallium (I) ions in addition to a voltage-dependent component are transported against an electrical gradient.

Jejunal and ileal absorption in patients with chronic renal disease. Effect of 1alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol

Calcium absorption in 30-cm segments of small intestine was measured by constant perfusion of test solutions containing different concentrations of calcium gluconate. In both the jejunum and ileum, calcium absorption rates increased progressively as luminal calcium concentration was increased stepwise between 1 and 20 mM. Although calcium transport was not saturable within these limits, unidirectional flux ratios of calcium (47Ca) suggest that calcium absorption is active in both the jejunum and ileum. Calcium absorption in patients with chronic renal disease was markedly depressed in both regions of the small intestine. This was due to decreased flux out of the lumen; flux in the reverse direction was normal. Flux ratios in the renal disease patients showed no evidence for active calcium transport. Treatment of these patients for 1 wk within 2 mug/day of 1alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol [1alpha-(OH)-D3] restored net calcium absorption and unidirectional calcium flux out of the lumen to normal values in the jejunum; in the ileum, 1alpha-(OH)-D3 increased calcium absorption 60-83% of normal at the various luminal calcium concentrations. 1alpha(OH)-D3 had no effect on unidirectional calcium flux into the lumen or on xylose and electrolyte absorption in either area of the small intestine.