Ion flux changes induced by voltage clamping or by amphotericin B in the isolated urinary bladder of the trout

J Physiol. 1982 Apr:325:111-23. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1982.sp014139.

Abstract

1. When bathed with Ringer solutions on both sides in Ussing chambers, isolated urinary bladders of trout carry out an electrically silent transport of Na+ and Cl- ions from mucosa to serosa. In the present experiments, an electrical gradient was set up across the epithelium mounted under these conditions either by using a voltage-clamp technique or by submitting the mucosal side to the polyene antibiotic Amphotericin B. 2. With stable potential differences between -40 and +40 mV applied to the tissue, both unidirectional fluxes (Jms and Jsm) for Na+ and for Cl- varied as a function of the electrical gradient. This indicates that a sizeable fraction of these ionic exchanges is due to passive diffusion across a low-resistance pathway. 3. Amphotericin B (40 micrograms/ml.) applied to the mucosal side induced an immediate and large (up to 50 mV, serosa positive) potential difference and a sustained diminution in tissue resistance. These effects were strictly Na+-dependent and were reduced in the presence of ouabain. Therefore they are due to increased passive entry of Na+ along its electrochemical gradient across the cellular apical membrane. 4. The effect of Amphotericin B was enhanced when Cl- was replaced by an impermeant anion such as gluconate. Therefore the shunting effect of Cl- on the induced potential observed in the control conditions appears to be due to an increase in Cl- permeability across an anion pathway. Flux data indicate that this pathway is transcellular.

MeSH terms

  • Amphotericin B / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Biological Transport / drug effects
  • Chlorides / metabolism
  • Electric Conductivity
  • Epithelium / physiology
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Membrane Potentials / drug effects
  • Salmonidae / physiology*
  • Sodium / metabolism
  • Trout / physiology*
  • Urinary Bladder / metabolism
  • Urinary Bladder / physiology*

Substances

  • Chlorides
  • Amphotericin B
  • Sodium