Korean J Physiol Pharmacol.  2012 Apr;16(2):91-95. 10.4196/kjpp.2012.16.2.91.

Altered Regulation of Renal Acid Base Transporters in Response to Ammonium Chloride Loading in Rats

• Kim EY
• Choi JS
• Lee KE
• Kim CS
• Bae EH
• Ma SK
• Kim SH
• Lee JU
• Kim SW

• KMID: 2071753
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4196/kjpp.2012.16.2.91

Abstract

The role of the kidney in combating metabolic acidosis has been a subject of considerable interest for many years. The present study was aimed to determine whether there is an altered regulation of renal acid base transporters in acute and chronic acid loading. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Metabolic acidosis was induced by administration of NH4Cl for 2 days (acute) and for 7days (chronic). The serum and urinary pH and bicarbonate were measured. The protein expression of renal acid base transporters [type 3 Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE3), type 1 Na+/HCO3- cotransporter (NBC1), Na-K+ ATPase, H(+)-ATPase, anion exchanger-1 (AE-1)] was measured by semiquantitative immunoblotting. Serum bicarbonate and pH were decreased in acute acid loading rats compared with controls. Accordingly, urinary pH decreased. The protein expression of NHE3, H(+)-ATPase, AE-1 and NBC1 was not changed. In chronic acid loading rats, serum bicarbonate and pH were not changed, while urinary pH was decreased compared with controls. The protein expression of NHE3, H(+)-ATPase was increased in the renal cortex of chronic acid loading rats. These results suggest that unaltered expression of acid transporters combined with acute acid loading may contribute to the development of acidosis. The subsequent increased expression of NHE3, H(+)-ATPase in the kidney may play a role in promoting acid excretion in the later stage of acid loading, which counteract the development of metabolic acidosis.

Keyword

Ammonium chloride; Acidosis; Sodium-hydrogen exchanger 3; Proton-Translocating ATPases

MeSH Terms

Acidosis
Adenosine Triphosphatases
Ammonium Chloride
Animals
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Immunoblotting
Kidney
Male
Proton-Translocating ATPases
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Sodium-Hydrogen Antiporter
Adenosine Triphosphatases
Ammonium Chloride
Proton-Translocating ATPases
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
Sodium-Hydrogen Antiporter

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Semiquantitative immunoblotting of NHE3, NBC1, H+-ATPase, AE1 and Na+ -K+ ATPase in the kidney cortex/outer stripe of outer medulla (OSOM) and inner stripe of outer medulla (ISOM) from control and 2 days of NH4Cl-loaded rats. ■, control; □, NH4Cl.

• 

  Fig. 2 Semiquantitative immunoblotting of NHE3, NBC1, H+-ATPase, AE1 and Na+ -K+ ATPase in the kidney cortex/outer stripe of outer medulla (OSOM) and inner stripe of outer medulla (ISOM) from control and 7 days of NH4Cl-loaded rats. ■, control; □, NH4Cl. *p<0.05 compared with control.

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