Effect of stretch on passive transport in toad urinary bladder

Abstract

In order to gain further information about the effect of stretch on the urinary bladder of the toad, transepithelial movement of radioactive sucrose, chloride, and urea was measured across bladder sacs during acute changes in the internal volume. Short-circuit current (SCC) and total tissue conductance (Kt) were also measured in each experiment. It was found that sudden large increases or smaller graded increases in volume resulted in a consistent fall in the tracer permeability (P*) of all three isotopes. However, this fall was due entirely to the larger area term in the calculation of P* rather than any real change in isotope movement. When total diffusion (TD) of each isotope was calculated by a method that eliminated the changes in surface area, it was apparent that stretch produced no significant effects on the transepithelial movement of any of these three molecules. Large stretch also resulted in parallel increases in SCC and Kt in most bladders. We conclude from these observations that the intercellular pathway for sucrose and chloride and the transcellular pathway for urea are unaltered by degrees of stretch that enhance SCC and sodium transport. By inference, the observed increases in Kt appear to represent changes in specific active pathway conductance (Ka), and may relate importantly to the changes in sodium transport.