Fluid and Electrolyte Transport across the Peritoneal Membrane during CAPD According to the Three-pore Model

In the present review, we summarize the principles governing the transport of fluid and electrolytes across the peritoneum during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in “average” patients and during ultrafiltration failure (UFF), according to the three-pore model of peritoneal transport. The UF volume curves as a function of dwell time [V( t)] are determined in their early phase by the glucose osmotic conductance [product of the UF coefficient (LpS) and the glucose reflection coefficient (σg)] of the peritoneum; in their middle portion by intraperitoneal volume and glucose diffusivity; and in their late portion by the LpS, Starling forces, and lymph flow. The most common cause of UFF is increased transport of small solutes (glucose) across the peritoneum, whereas the LpS is only moderately affected. Concerning peritoneal ion transport, ions that are already more or less fully equilibrated across the membrane at the start of the dwell, such as Na+(Cl–), Ca2+, and Mg2+, have a convection-dominated transport. The removal of these ions is proportional to UF volume (approximately 10 mmol/L Na+and 0.12 mmol/L Ca2+removed per deciliter UF in 4 hours).

The present article examines the impact on fluid and solute transport of varying concentrations of Ca2+and Na+in peritoneal dialysis solutions. Particularly, the effect of “ultralow” sodium solutions on transport and UF is simulated and discussed. Ions with high initial concentration gradients across the peritoneum, such as K+, phosphate, and bicarbonate, display a diffusion-dominated transport. The transport of these ions can be adequately described by non-electrolyte equations. However, for ions that are in (or near) their diffusion equilibrium over the peritoneum (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+), more complex ion transport equations need to be used. Due to the complexity of these equations, however, non-electrolyte transport formalism is commonly employed, which leads to a marked underestimation of mass transfer area coefficients (PS). This can be avoided by determining the PS when transperitoneal ion concentration gradients are steep.

Effect of Oral Administration of Losartan, Prazosin, and Verapamil on Peritoneal Solute Transport in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Background

Several intraperitoneally administered drugs have been shown to modify transport of peritoneal solute and fluid. Fewer studies, however, have evaluated the effect of orally administered drugs. The present study was performed to evaluate the effects of oral losartan, prazosin, and verapamil on peritoneal membrane transport during a peritoneal equilibration test (PET), as well as the effects on creatinine clearance (CrCl), Kt/V urea, 24-hour protein in drained dialysate, and drained volume.

Methods

This was an open, controlled, crossover clinical trial performed in 20 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. All subjects used four 2-L 1.5% glucose dialysis exchanges per day. After a 7-day washout period (without antihypertensives), they had a baseline standard PET and dialysis adequacy assessment performed. Subsequently, they were randomly allocated to receive the first of three study drugs (losartan, prazosin, and verapamil), which were administered orally for a 7-day period. Immediately after each drug period, patients had a new 3-day washout and subsequently started the next drug, until they had received each of the three drugs. On the last day of administration of each drug, patients were subjected to a new PET and adequacy of dialysis evaluation.

Results

None of the studied drugs significantly modified the peritoneal transport of creatinine, glucose, urea, sodium, potassium, or total protein as evaluated by PET. Verapamil significantly increased peritoneal CrCl [51.3 (44.3 – 53.3) vs baseline 45.8 (41.4 – 50.5) L/week/1.73 m2, p < 0.05], weekly Kt/V urea [1.75 (1.60 – 1.78) vs baseline 1.59 (1.54 – 1.73), p < 0.05], and drained dialysate volume [8.80 (8.30 – 8.96) vs baseline 8.44 (8.20 – 8.50) L/day, p < 0.05].

Conclusions

Oral administration of losartan, prazosin, and verapamil did not modify the peritoneal transport of solutes during a 4-hour PET. Oral verapamil significantly increased CrCl, Kt/V urea, and 24-hour drained dialysate volume. It is most likely that verapamil increases peritoneal (hydraulic) conductivity, and then net ultrafiltration volume and convective transport of urea, creatinine, and protein. Verapamil could be considered as an alternative in patients requiring increased dialysis dose and/or ultrafiltration.

Comparative binding study of anti-tuberculosis drug pyrazinamide with serum albumins

The interaction of anti-tuberculosis drug pyrazinamide (PYZ) with serum albumins (HSA and BSA) has been studied using spectroscopic and molecular docking approaches.

Recent progress on pyrazole scaffold-based antimycobacterial agents

New and reemerging infectious diseases will continue to pose serious global health threats well into the 21st century and according to the World Health Organization report, these are still the leading cause of death among humans worldwide. Among infectious diseases, tuberculosis claims approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide. Also, agents that reduce the duration and complexity of the current therapy would have a major impact on the overall cure rate. Due to the development of resistance to conventional antibiotics there is a need for new therapeutic strategies to combat Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Subsequently, there is an urgent need for the development of new drug candidates with newer targets and alternative mechanism of action. In this perspective, pyrazole, one of the most important classes of heterocycles, has been the topic of research for thousands of researchers all over the world because of its wide spectrum of biological activities. To pave the way for future research, there is a need to collect the latest information in this promising area. In the present review, we have collated published reports on the pyrazole core to provide an insight so that its full therapeutic potential can be utilized for the treatment of tuberculosis. In this article, the possible structure-activity relationship of pyrazole analogs for designing better antituberculosis (anti-TB) agents has been discussed and is also helpful for new thoughts in the quest for rational designs of more active and less toxic pyrazole-based anti-TB drugs.

Measuring transport of water across the peritoneal membrane

INTRODUCTION

Mechanisms of water flow across the peritoneal membrane include diffusion, convection, and reabsorption.

OBJECTIVES

To understand these processes more clearly we have developed a method to measure transport of water across the peritoneal membrane.

METHODS

An artificial gradient of deuterated water (HDO) between blood and dialysate compartments was created in five subjects who took 0.3g per kg of body weight of D2O, which was allowed to equilibrate with total body water. During a test dwell (2 L, bicarbonate:lactate buffer, 1.36% glucose to minimize convection), frequent dialysate samples were drawn to determine the abundance of deuterium and other solutes and to calculate their time constants. Dialysate deuterium abundance was measured using flowing afterglow mass spectrometry (FA-MS). The method was combined with 125iodine-labeled albumin (RISA) to enable simultaneous estimates of intraperitoneal volume and thus calculation of the mass transfer area coefficient (MTAC) for small solutes using the Garred equation.

RESULTS

The appearance of HDO in dialysate in four subjects is described by a single exponential fit with residuals of <1%, similar to method precision. In a fifth subject, the resolution of this method demonstrated that the best fit was a double exponential. When compared to other solutes, the time constant for water was as predicted by its molecular weight, with a MTAC of 38.7 +/- 4.4 mL/min. Total body water could also be estimated from the equilibrated dialysate deuterium abundance, with repeat estimates within 0.5%.

CONCLUSION

Transport of water across the peritoneum can be measured with remarkable accuracy and when combined with an intraperitoneal volume estimation can be used to determine mass transfer. In conditions of low convection, the relative rate of deuterium appearance and mass transfer compared to other solutes suggests that water diffuses predominantly through the intercellular small pores.