Effect of peritubular hypertonicity on water and urea transport of inner medullary collecting duct

The effect of bath fluid hypertonicity on hydraulic conductivity (Lp) and [14C]urea permeability (Pu) of the distal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) was studied in the absence and in the presence of vasopressin (VP) using the in vitro microperfusion technique of rat IMCD. In the first three groups of IMCD, we observed that in the absence of VP the Lp was not different from zero when the osmotic gradient was created by hypotonic perfusate and isotonic bath fluid, but it was significantly greater than 1.0 x 10(-6) cm.atm-1.s-1 when the osmotic gradient was created by hypertonic bath and isotonic perfusion fluid. The increase in Lp was observed when the hypertonicity of the bath fluid was produced by the addition of NaCl or raffinose, but no such effect was observed with urea. The stimulated effect of bath fluid hypertonicity on Lp was also observed in the IMCD obtained from Brattleboro homozygous rats in which VP is absent. The NaCl hypertonic bath increased the Pu in the absence of VP. In another series of experiments with VP (10(-10) M) we observed that the hypertonic bath fluid increased in a reversible manner the VP-stimulated Lp of distal IMCD. However, the NaCl hypertonicity of the bath fluid was not able to increase dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-stimulated Lp. The Pu stimulated by VP (10(-10) M) increased twofold when the bath fluid was hypertonic. Therefore hypertonicity of the peritubular fluid produced by the addition of NaCl or raffinose increases the Lp and Pu in the absence and in the presence of VP. No such effect was noted with the addition of urea.