Effects of Ca2+ and furosemide on Cl- transport and O2 uptake in rat parotid acini

Agonist-induced activation of Na+/H+ exchange in rat parotid acinar cells

The present studies were designed to test our previous suggestion that Na+/H+ exchange was activated by muscarinic stimulation of rat parotid acinar cells. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrate here that intact rat parotid acini stimulated with the muscarinic agonist carbachol in HCO3- -free medium show an enhanced recovery from an acute acid load as compared to similarly challenged untreated preparations. Amiloride-sensitive 22Na uptake, due to Na+/H+ exchange, was also studied in plasma membrane vesicles prepared from rat parotid acini pretreated with carbachol. This uptake was stimulated two-fold relative to that observed in vesicles from control (untreated) acini. This stimulation was time dependent, requiring approximately 15 min of acinar incubation with carbachol to reach completion, and was blocked by the presence of the muscarinic antagonist atropine (2 x 10(-5) M) in the pretreatment medium. The effect of carbachol was dose dependent with K0.5 approximately 3 x 10(-6) M. Stimulation of the exchanger was also seen in vesicles prepared from acini pretreated with the alpha-adrenergic agonist epinephrine, but not with the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol, or with substance P. Kinetic analysis indicated that the stimulation induced by carbachol was due to an alkaline shift in the pH responsiveness of the exchanger in addition to an increased apparent transport capacity. Taken together with previous results from this and other laboratories, these results strongly suggest that the Na+/H+ exchanger and its regulation are intimately involved in the fluid-secretory response of the rat parotid.

Activation of salivary secretion: coupling of cell volume and [Ca2+]i in single cells

High-resolution differential interference contrast microscopy and digital imaging of the fluorescent calcium indicator dye fura-2 were performed simultaneously in single rat salivary gland acinar cells to examine the effects of muscarinic stimulation on cell volume and cytoplasmic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Agonist stimulation of fluid secretion is initially associated with a rapid tenfold increase in [Ca2+]i as well as a substantial cell shrinkage. Subsequent changes of cell volume in the continued presence of agonist are tightly coupled to dynamic levels of [Ca2+]i, even during [Ca2+]i oscillations. Experiments with Ca2+ chelators and ionophores showed that physiological elevations of [Ca2+]i are necessary and sufficient to cause changes in cell volume. The relation between [Ca2+]i and cell volume suggests that the latter reflects the secretory state of the acinar cell. Agonist-induced changes in [Ca2+]i, by modulating specific ion permeabilities, result in solute movement into or out of the cell. The resultant cell volume changes may be important in modulating salivary secretion.

Anticholinergic effects of cis-chlorprothixene characterized in rat parotid acini

The anticholinergic effects of the antipsychotic drug, cis-chlorprothixene, on the secretory events underlying the formation of primary saliva were investigated. The neuroleptic, cis-chlorprothixene, is used extensively as a major tranquillizer but shares side-effects such as xerostomia with most antidepressants. The inhibitory effects of cis-chlorprothixene upon the cholinergic-induced rise in Ca2+ as well as on O2 consumption and Cl- loss were investigated in isolated rat parotid acini in order to characterize its anticholinergic effects quantitatively. The cholinergic-induced rise in cytosolic, free Ca2+ was inhibited by cis-chlorprothixene with half-maximal effect at 1.9 microM and maximal inhibition at 10 microM. When the cytosolic, free Ca2+ was enhanced in the presence of 10 microM cis-chlorprothixene by means of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187, a loss of Cl- was observed similar to that observed during cholinergic stimulation in the absence of cis-chlorprothixene. The findings are consistent with the possibility that cis-chlorprothixene exerts its effects on the steps leading from agonist binding to the acetylcholine receptor and to the increase of cytosolic free Ca2+. Thus, measurement of the stimulation-induced rise in cytosolic, free Ca2+ in the presence of neuroleptics such as the thioxanthenes represents a fast and reliable method for detecting inhibitory effects on autonomic receptor activation.

Effects of muscarinic, alpha-adrenergic, and substance P agonists and ionomycin on ion transport mechanisms in the rat parotid acinar cell. The dependence of ion transport on intracellular calcium

The relationship between receptor-mediated increases in the intracellular free calcium concentration [( Ca]i) and the stimulation of ion fluxes involved in fluid secretion was examined in the rat parotid acinar cell. Agonist-induced increases in [Ca]i caused the rapid net loss of up to 50-60% of the total content of intracellular chloride (Cli) and potassium (Ki), which is consistent with the activation of calcium-sensitive chloride and potassium channels. These ion movements were accompanied by a 25% reduction in the intracellular volume. The relative magnitudes of the losses of Ki and the net potassium fluxes promoted by carbachol (a muscarinic agonist), phenylephrine (an alpha-adrenergic agonist), and substance P were very similar to their characteristic effects on elevating [Ca]i. Carbachol stimulated the loss of Ki through multiple efflux pathways, including the large-conductance Ca-activated K channel. Carbachol and substance P increased the levels of intracellular sodium (Nai) to more than 2.5 times the normal level by stimulating the net uptake of sodium through multiple pathways; Na-K-2Cl cotransport accounted for greater than 50% of the influx, and approximately 20% was via Na-H exchange, which led to a net alkalinization of the cells. Ionomycin stimulated similar fluxes through these two pathways, but also promoted sodium influx through an additional pathway which was nearly equivalent in magnitude to the combined uptake through the other two pathways. The carbachol-induced increase in Nai and decrease in Ki stimulated the activity of the sodium pump, measured by the ouabain-sensitive rate of oxygen consumption, to nearly maximal levels. In the absence of extracellular calcium or in cells loaded with the calcium chelator BAPTA (bis[o-aminophenoxy]ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid) the magnitudes of agonist- or ionomycin-stimulated ion fluxes were greatly reduced. The parotid cells displayed a marked desensitization to substance P; within 10 min the elevation of [Ca]i and alterations in Ki, Nai, and cell volume spontaneously returned to near baseline levels. In addition to quantitating the activation of various ion flux pathways in the rat parotid acinar cell, these results demonstrate that the activation of ion transport systems responsible for fluid secretion in this tissue is closely linked to the elevation of [Ca]i.

Inhibition of 36Cl uptake by stilbene sulphonic acid derivatives and loop diuretics in rat submandibular salivary acini

Acini were isolated from submandibular glands by enzymatic digestion and incubated in HCO3-containing and HCO3-free [hydroxyethyl-1-piperazine-ethane sulphonic acid (HEPES) buffered] solutions to compare the accumulation of the isotopic tracer 36Cl in the absence and presence of stilbene sulphonic acid derivatives and of loop diuretics. Tracer accumulation was similar in both solutions in the absence of inhibitors and reached 17-19 nmol/mg protein after 5 min of incubation. Exposure to 10(-3) M 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulphonic acid (DIDS) or to 10(-4) M bumetanide in HCO3-buffered medium resulted in significant reductions in both the initial phase (from 0 to 5 min) and the steady-state phase (5-30 min) of 36Cl accumulation. By contrast, in HCO3-free, HEPES-buffered incubation solution, DIDS was significantly less effective in reducing 36Cl accumulation, while bumetanide was somewhat more effective than in HCO3-buffered medium. At a higher dose (10(-3) M), furosemide was less effective than bumetanide in reducing the steady-state tracer content of the cells in the HCO3-buffered medium (22% versus 35% reduction), although the effects were similar in the initial phase of tracer uptake. Exposure to 10(-4) M 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (SITS) caused an increase in the steady-state 36Cl content of the acini of 24 +/- 9%. Exposure to bumetanide and DIDS caused an additive reduction of tracer content, while exposure to bumetanide and SITS resulted in a smaller reduction than with bumetanide alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ca2+ not cyclic AMP mediates the fluid secretory response to isoproterenol in the rat mandibular salivary gland: whole-cell patch-clamp studies

We have performed whole-cell patch-clamp studies on dispersed secretory cells of the rat mandibular gland to determine how beta-adrenergic stimulation causes fluid secretion. When the pipette contained a high K+ solution, the resting membrane potential averaged -33 mV +/- 1.1 (SEM, n = 34) and the clamped cell showed strong outward rectification. We monitored K+ and Cl- currents for periods of 15 min by recording the currents needed to clamp the cell potential at 0 and -80 mV, respectively. Isoproterenol (1-2 mumol/l) caused increases in the clamp current at 0 mV (the K+ current) and at -80 mV (the Cl- current) in about 80% of cases, although the responses were variable in size and time-course; the responses were indistinguishable from those induced by acetylcholine or the Ca2+ ionophore, A23187. The alpha-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine (1-2 mumol/l), had no effect on the response, but the beta-adrenergic antagonist, propranolol (10 mumol/l), blocked it completely. The isoproterenol response could not be mimicked by application to either surface of the cell membrane, of cyclic AMP (100 mumol/l), forskolin (1 or 20 mumol/l) or cholera toxin (2.5 micrograms/ml). However, increasing the Ca2+-chelating capacity of the pipette solution by raising its EGTA concentration from the customary 0.5 to 20 mmol/l, blocked the response to isoproterenol, suggesting that beta-adrenergic agonists activate Cl- and K+ channels by raising cytosolic Ca2+. Since neomycin, which blocks phospholipase C, blocked the action of isoproterenol without impairing the cell responsiveness to A23187, it appears that isoproterenol, like muscarinic agonists, increased cytosolic Ca2+ via the phosphatidylinositol cycle.

Alpha 1-adrenergic regulation of Cl- and Ca2+ movements in rat parotid acinar cells

In rat parotid acinar cells, maximal alpha 1-adrenergic receptor stimulation (10(-5) M epinephrine + 10(-5) M propranolol) leads to a rapid (less than 10 s), 4-5-fold elevation in cytosolic Ca2+ (approximately 800 nM at peak) which decreases to approximately 50% of peak Ca2+ by 3-4 min. Similarly, cells preloaded with 36Cl- show a rapid (less than 10 s) 35-50% loss of 36Cl- which returns to approximately 80% of resting values in 3-4 min. Both responses are dependent on epinephrine, with half-maximal effects achieved at 2 x 10(-7) M and 2 x 10(-6) M agonist for Cl- and Ca2+, respectively. In the presence of low extracellular Ca2+ (i.e. with EGTA), the initial rapid changes in cellular Ca2+ and Cl- are unaltered. However, cellular Ca2+ and Cl- levels return to basal values sooner than when extracellular Ca2+ is present (within approximately 2 and 3 min, respectively). Maximal epinephrine-induced Ca2+ and Cl- responses are unaffected by the alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist, yohimbine, are completely blocked by the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist, SZL-49, and are similar to ion fluxes induced by maximal muscarinic-cholinergic receptor stimulation (10(-5) M carbachol). The data suggest that a close association exists between mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and Cl- content in rat parotid acinar cells after alpha 1-adrenoceptor stimulation.

Effect of acetylcholine on electrical properties of subconfluent Madin Darby canine kidney cells

To elucidate the effects of acetylcholine on the electrical properties of incompletely confluent Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells continuous measurements of the potential difference across the cell membrane (PD) were made with conventional microelectrodes during rapid changes of extracellular fluid composition. During control conditions PD averages -48.9 +/- 1.0 mV (n = 51). 1 mumol/l acetylcholine leads to a sustained but reversible hyperpolarization of the cell membrane by -17.9 +/- 0.7 mV (n = 51). Half-maximal effect is observed at some 100 nmol/l. 1 mumol/l atropine does not significantly alter the potential difference across the cell membrane, but abolishes reversibly the hyperpolarizing effect of acetylcholine. Increase of extracellular potassium concentration from 5.4 mmol/l to 20 mmol/l depolarizes the cell membrane by +12.1 +/- 1.1 mV (n = 12) in the absence and by +25.7 +/- 0.9 mV (n = 12) in the presence of acetylcholine. Within 80 s removal of extracellular calcium leads to a depolarization of the cell membrane by +16.2 +/- 3.2 mV (n = 9). In the nominal absence of extracellular calcium acetylcholine leads to a transient hyperpolarization by -13.8 +/- 1.8 mV (n = 9), which can be elicited only once. In conclusion, acetylcholine hyperpolarizes the plasma membrane of MDCK cells by calcium-dependent enhancement of potassium conductance.

Coupled Na+/H+ exchange in rat parotid basolateral membrane vesicles

pH gradient-dependent sodium transport in highly purified rat parotid basolateral membrane vesicles was studied under voltage-clamped conditions. In the presence of an outwardly directed H+ gradient (pHin = 6.0, pHout = 8.0) 22Na uptake was approximately ten times greater than uptake measured at pH equilibrium (pHin = pHout = 6.0). More than 90% of this sodium flux was inhibited by the potassium-sparing diuretic drug amiloride (K1 = 1.6 microM) while the transport inhibitors furosemide (1 mM), bumetanide (1 mM), SITS (0.5 mM) and DIDS (0.1 mM) were without effect. This transport activity copurified with the basolateral membrane marker K+-stimulated p-nitrophenyl phosphatase. In addition, 22Na uptake into the vesicles could be driven against a concentration gradient by an outwardly directed H+ gradient. pH gradient-dependent sodium flux exhibited a simple Michaelis-Menten-type dependence on sodium concentration consistent with the existence of a single transport system with KM = 8.0 mM at 23 degrees C. A component of pH gradient-dependent, amiloride-sensitive sodium flux was also observed in rabbit parotid basolateral membrane vesicles. These results provide strong evidence for the existence of a Na+/H+ antiport in rat and rabbit parotid acinar basolateral membranes and extend earlier less direct studies which suggested that such a transporter was present in salivary acinar cells and might play a significant role in salivary fluid secretion.

Stimulation-induced changes in cyclic nucleotide content by isolated rat parotid acini: effects of calcium

In the present study we investigated the relation between receptor activation and the acinar formation of cyclic nucleotides as a function of time, including effects of calcium. The experiments were performed using collagenase-isolated rat parotid acini and the cyclic nucleotide content was determined using a specific cAMP binding protein and cGMP antibody. Under physiological conditions, activation of beta-adrenoceptors increased cAMP content 27 fold within 60 sec. This response was not dependent upon the presence of extracellular calcium nor could it be mimicked by the calcium ionophore A23187. The adrenaline-induced activation of the alpha-adrenergic receptors lead to a 19% increase in cGMP content within 15 sec. This response was abolished in the absence of extracellular calcium. Pure activation of the alpha-1-adrenoceptors by phenylephrine resulted in a 62% increase in cGMP content within 15 sec. Finally, carbachol-induced activation of the cholinoceptors lead to a 50% transient increase in cGMP content within 7 sec. In the absence of calcium (EGTA present), the basal cGMP level was increased and in addition, the carbachol-induced cGMP formation was slower in onset and amounted to only 23% within 60 sec. The carbachol-induced cGMP formation could be mimicked by the calcium ionophore A23187 or by addition of calcium to acini preincubated in a calcium free buffer containing A23187. In conclusion, stimulation-induced formation of cyclic nucleotides under various conditions proved to be very rapid, well regulated, and sensitive processes.

Effect of alpha-receptor stimulation on Cl transport by rat submandibular acini

Dispersed salivary acini isolated from the rat submandibular gland by enzymatic digestion were used to study the effects of alpha-receptor stimulation on transmembrane transport of 36Cl. In the absence of secretagogue, the tracer accumulated in the cells in a time-dependent manner until a steady-state content of 6.8 +/- 0.1 nmol/mg protein was attained after 3-5 min of incubation. Epinephrine (1 mumol/L) alone did not modify 36Cl accumulation but in the presence of the beta-receptor blocker propranolol (1 mumol/L) caused a significant (21%) reduction in the isotope content of the cells to 5.2 +/- 0.1 nmol/mg protein. In acini pre-loaded with 36Cl for 12 min, 1 mumol/L epinephrine caused a rapid but transient net efflux of tracer, but the isotope content subsequently increased to pre-stimulation levels. In the presence of propranolol, however, the efflux of 36Cl induced by epinephrine was larger and more sustained and was partially inhibited by the K-channel blocker quinidine (1 mmol/L) and significantly by the absence of Ca2+ in the incubation medium. The alpha-agonist phenylephrine (10 mumol/L) also significantly reduced the steady-state 36Cl content of tracer-pre-loaded cells. By contrast, exposure of the acini to epinephrine in the presence of the alpha-receptor blocker phentolamine, or the beta-agonist isoproterenol, increased the tracer content of the cells, whether the drugs were added at time zero or to tracer-pre-loaded cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cholinergic-induced electrolyte transport in rat parotid acini

Secretory responses of parotid acini occurring within 10 sec following cholinergic stimulation were characterized. 1. Measurement of membrane potentials by means of the fluorescent dye diSC3-(5) revealed a value of approximately -59 mV, which remained unaffected on stimulation. 2. Stimulation caused a rapid net loss of 42K+ that was strongly inhibited by the "maxi" K+-channel inhibitor "charybdotoxin" present in scorpion venom. 3. It was calculated that the number of open "maxi" K+-channels per cell was approximately 40 in the unstimulated state and approximately 3000 in the stimulated state. 4. Stimulation caused a transient decrease in the acinar ATP content. 5. Intracellular pH (pHi) measured by means of the fluorescent dye, BCECF, was dependent upon the presence of extracellular HCO3- as well as Na+. Under physiological conditions pHi was 7.27 and stimulation caused a transient decrease of 0.1 pH units due to HCO3- efflux. The decrease was followed by pHi recovery mediated by a Na+/H+ exchange mechanism.

The control of ion channels and pumps in exocrine acinar cells

The historical development of ideas concerning mechanisms of exocrine fluid secretion will be traced from the original finding of stimulant-evoked K+ release in 1956 to current models involving Ca2+-activated K+ and Cl- channels.

A muscarinic agonist-stimulated chloride efflux pathway is associated with fluid secretion in rat parotid acinar cells

Cl- efflux from rat parotid acinar cells was stimulated by the muscarinic-cholinergic agonist carbachol (K0.5 approximately 1 microM). Carbachol application resulted in a rapid (T1/2 less than 10 sec.) and dramatic (approximately 50%) loss of intracellular Cl- followed by a much slower (T1/2 approximately 2 min) recovery to approximately 70% of original acinar Cl- content. Diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (1 mM), a putative Cl- channel blocker, blunted the initial Cl- loss and enhanced the subsequent recovery of Cl- content, while bumetanide (0.1 mM) blocked Cl- recovery with no effect on Cl- loss. Calculation of the rate of salivary secretion from measurements of sustained stimulated acinar Cl- release in vitro, yielded a value of 14 microliters/gland/min, in excellent agreement with previously published in vivo data. These results demonstrate that Cl- loss via this efflux pathway can account for fluid secretion from the rat parotid gland.

Intracellular elemental concentrations in resting and secreting rat parotid glands

Electron probe x-ray micro-analysis was used to study the elemental concentration changes that occur during pilocarpine-stimulated saliva secretion. Quantitative x-ray micro-analysis of elemental concentrations in intracellular compartments of rat parotid glands stimulated in vivo with pilocarpine showed that Na concentration was significantly increased, while K concentration was significantly reduced. The magnitude of these changes was consistent with values obtained in other tissues with the x-ray micro-analysis method, and in the same tissue with other experimental methods. Comparisons with results from studies utilizing dispersed acini suggest that acinar dispersion procedures may affect intracellular elemental concentrations. Total electrolyte concentrations in cytoplasm and secretory granules were estimated to increase on a dry-weight basis following pilocarpine stimulation. The former change is consistent with the notion of a transcellular route of salivary fluid flow, while the latter change may be important in the exocytosis of secretory granules.

Effect of prostaglandins on Cl and K transport in rat submandibular salivary acini

Dispersed acini were used to investigate the effects of prostaglandins (PG) on transmembrane Cl and K transport with the aid of radioactive tracers. Neither PGE1, PG2, PGF2 alpha, arachidonic acid or phosphatidic acid (all in 1 microM final concentrations) modified the time-dependent uptake of 36Cl. Steady-state isotope content reached 6-7 nmol/mg protein with or without these substances. PG did not alter the inhibitory effect of 1 mM furosemide on 36Cl uptake, and failed to induce a net efflux of 36Cl from tracer-preloaded cells or to modify the efflux of tracer induced by 1 microM acetylcholine. PG had no significant effect on K uptake, as measured with 86Rb, and did not modify the effect of 1 mM ouabain, which inhibited K uptake or accumulation by 60 per cent. PG did not induce K (86Rb) efflux from acini preloaded with tracer, and did not prevent or enhance the K efflux induced by acetylcholine. Thus PG do not influence the major ion-transport systems that may be involved in saliva secretion by acinar cells. Any inhibitory effects of PGE1 on salivary-fluid secretion in vivo are therefore likely to be the result of extra-acinar PG actions, and not of a direct effect on ion-transport mechanisms.

An examination of functional linkage between K efflux and 36Cl efflux in rat submandibular salivary gland acini in vitro

Suspensions of dispersed acini isolated by enzymatic (collagenase) digestion were used to investigate possible interactions between transmembrane K and Cl movements. The isotopic tracer 36Cl monitored uptake and efflux of Cl under conditions where K efflux was either stimulated or inhibited. Uptake (accumulation) of 36Cl in the absence of experimental manipulation was time-dependent, resulting in a steady-state isotope content of 8.9 +/- 0.2 nmol/mg protein after 3-5 min of incubation. This content was reduced 28 per cent by the K-ionophore, valinomycin (10 microM), which also caused a net efflux of 36Cl (28 per cent) from tracer-preloaded acini. Valinomycin also released 38 per cent of the cellular K content and caused efflux of 86Rb from acini preloaded with this tracer. The efflux of 36Cl induced by 1 microM acetylcholine (23 per cent) was blocked by the K-channel blocker, quinidine (1 mM), and incompletely by apamin (1 mM). Efflux of 36Cl was also blocked by the chloride-channel blocker, 3,5-dichlorophenyl-2-amine-carboxylic acid. Thus, induction of K release (efflux) in these acini is balanced by a parallel efflux of Cl, and blockade of K release inhibits acetylcholine-induced 36Cl efflux, which suggests a functional linkage between these two events. According to current opinion, these ion movements occur, respectively, in the basolateral (K) and apical (Cl) cell membranes, so any linkage implies that the apical Cl conductance can be regulated, at least in part, by changes in membrane potential which are secondary to secretagogue-induced changes in K conductance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)