Dissociation of Na-K-ATPase specific activity and net reabsorption of sodium
- 1 June 1975
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physiological Society in American Journal of Physiology-Legacy Content
- Vol. 228 (6) , 1745-1749
- https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplegacy.1975.228.6.1745
Abstract
Prevoius studies have suggested that the increase in specific activity of Na-K-ATPase in renal tissue during treatment with glucocorticoids occurred as a result of aconcurrent rise in net tubular reabsorption of sodium. Since recent data have indicated a specific effect of glucocortiocoids on epithelial cells, experiments were performed to determine whether enzyme activity and net sodium reabsorption could be dissociated.Evidence is provided demonstrating that base-line specific activity of Na-K-ATPase in rat renal cortex and outer medulla does not correlate directly with net sodium reabsorption since enzyme activity did not change after a chronic reduction in glomerularfiltration rate and the rate of sodium reabsorption. Further studies showed a markedrise in Na-K-ATPase after 4 days of treatment with methylprednisolone despite a fall in sodium absorption. These results suggest a direct effect of glucocorticoids onrenal Na-K-ATPase and illistrate the difficulty in assigning a transport role tothis enzyme from the correlation of specific activity with rates of net electrolyte transport.Keywords
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