Dibutyryl cyclic AMP inhibits transport dependent QO2 in cells isolated from the rabbit medullary ascending limb

Because the medullary thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle is the target of several polypeptide hormones that stimulate adenyl cyclase in this nephron segment, we examined the effects of cyclic AMP on thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle cells isolated by enzymatic digestion and density gradient centrifugation from the outer medulla of the rabbit kidney. The functional parameter that was measured was transport dependent oxygen consumption. Oxygen consumption was measured using a polarographic oxygen electrode in a constant temperature chamber. We found that dibutyryl cyclic AMP inhibited oxygen consumption in a dose dependent way. Maximal inhibition was observed at a concentration of 10^–5M. The effect of dibutyryl cyclic AMP was not present in the absence of either sodium, chloride or both implying that its effect is restricted to the sodium and chloride dependent oxygen consumption. The effect of dibutyryl cyclic AMP was additive to that of furosemide·10^–4M while that of furosemide was not additive to that of cyclic AMP suggesting that the site of action of cyclic AMP is distal to that of furosemide. The effect of dibutyryl cyclic AMP was not additive to that of ouabain and was absent in cells where oxygen consumption was stimulated with amphotericin B in the absence of chloride indicating that it has no effect on Na–K-ATPase. On the basis of these results, and by analogy with other epithelia where the effect of cyclic AMP on chloride transport has been demonstrated to be at the chloride conductance, the effect of cyclic AMP on transport dependent oxygen consumption can be most probably localized to the chloride conductance. The hormone responsible for the primary step was not identified in these experiments.