effect of potassium deficiency the reabsorption of bicar.pdfVIP

Journal of Clinical Investigation Vol. 43, No. 10, 1964 Effect of Potassium Deficiency on the Reabsorption of Bicar- bonate in the Proximal Tubule of the Rat Kidney * FLOYD C. RECTOR, JR., H. ALLAN BLOOMER,t AND DONALD W. SELDIN WITH THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OF MARTHA HUDDLESTON (From the Department of Internal Medicine, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas) Potassium deficiency accelerates the secretion of K+ secretion could be the result of reciprocal HI ions by the kidney; in consequence the net ex- changes in the intracellular concentrations of these cretion of acid (ammonia and titratable acid-bi- two ions in the distal nephron, rather than compe- carbonate) into the urine and the capacity to re- tition for a common secretory pathway; second, absorb filtered HCO3- are increased (1-7). Al- by altering the pH of proximal tubular cells, though the precise mechanism involved has not changes in intracellular K+ might influence H+ been identified, Berliner, Kennedy, and Orloff (8), secretion even though this area of the nephron is on the basis of the demonstrated reciprocal re- not a site of K+ secretion. lationship between H4 and K+ secretion, proposed The present experiments in rats were designed that these ions compete for a common secretory to investigate whether K+ deficiency accelerates HW pathway in the distal nephron. Consequently, K+ secretion in the distal nephron only, where K+ is depletion, by lowering the concentration of K+ at known to be secreted ( 11), or also in the proximal the competitive secretory site, would facilitate H+ tubule, where we (12), as well as others