21. Diuretics Flashcards
outline the functions of the proximal convoluted tubule
- permeable to water
- permeable to sodium
- Na-K-ATPase channels on the basal side work to retain the concentration gradient for sodium
- large gap junctions between endothelial cells resulting in the movement of water/electrolytes via the paracellular route
why is carbonic anhydrase important?
- important enzyme in the PCT on the apical surface
- converts CO2 and water into hydrogen and bicarbonate, allowing substances to be moved from one side of the cell to the other
how does carbonic anhydrase act on the surface of proximal tubule cells?
- H+ is exported from the proximal tubule cell (actively pumped out by H+-ATPase or coupled with Na+ entry by an antiporter) at the lumen side
- bicarbonate comes in through the tubular fluid and reacts with H+ to form carbonic acid in the lumen
- carbonic anhydrase breaks H2CO3 into CO2 and water which enters the cell
- inside the cell CO2 and water recombine to form carbonic acid
- this then dissociates back into HCO3- and H+ in the cell
- H+ is exported out the cell (step 1) and HCO3- is exported out of the cell at the interstitial (blood) side cotransported with Na+ or exchanged for Cl- by an antiporter
what is glucose and amino acid transport always coupled to?
sodium movement
what do certain special transporters in the proximal tubule do?
- recognise side chains and functional groups revealed in phase I metabolism
- if the side chain/group is present it is recognised by the kidney which moves the drug molecule into the lumen of the kidney for excretion in the urine
what occurs in the descending limb of the loop of Henle?
- very permeable to water
- the tubule lumen side is more isotonic and the interstitium is more hypertonic so water travels transcellularly and paracellularly from the lumen to the interstitium (apical –> basal)
what occurs in the ascending limb of the loop of Henle?
- apical membrane is impermeable to water
- a very small amount can move through the paracellular route
- sodium-chloride-potassium triple transporters on the apical membrane allow Na, Cl and K to move in to the cell
- the Na-K ATPase on the basal membrane maintains a sodium gradient
what are the main features of the descending and ascending limbs of Henle?
DLOH: water is let out
- loose tight junctions
- not many mitochondria
- don’t pump ions
ALOH: Na and Cl pumped out
- very tight junctions
- lots of mitochondria
- very high metabolic activity
describe the counter current mechanism that occurs in the loop of henle
- water leaves the descending limb
- in the ascending limb, water cannot leave but Na, Cl and K can
- as fluid moves up the ascending limb sodium is removed from the filtrate but water doesn’t follow
- the space between the 2 limbs becomes more hypotonic (concentrated with ions) because Na is added without the addition of water
why do we need a counter current mechanism?
- to promote water movement from the collecting duct
- the process continues until there is a large concentration of sodium in the interstitium
- this acts as an osmotic gradient for water to move out of the collecting duct into the interstitium and then into the blood
what occurs in the distal convoluted tubule?
- there is a Na-Cl cotransporter on the tubular side (apical membrane)
- on the basal membrane there is Na-K-ATPase (ensures the concentration gradient is maintained and that Na is reabsorbed into the blood)
- K and Cl transporters are also present on the basal side and contransport K and Cl into the interstitium
what do vasopressin and aldosterone do in the collecting duct?
ALDOSTERONE
- mineralocorticoid which binds to the MR receptor and influences nuclear transcription
- increases transcription of Na channels and Na-K-ATPase –> cells reabsorb more sodium
VASOPRESSIN
- interacts with the V2 receptor and sticks aquaporin channels into the apical membrane –> allows water movement across the cell
how does aldosterone work?
steroid hormone –> diffuses into cell and binds with steroid hormone intracellular receptors bound to chaperone proteins –> chaperone protein released from receptor –> dimerization of steroid hormone-receptor complexes –> enters nucleus –> transcription of gene you want
what is liddle’s syndrome?
- an inherited disease of high BP
- mutation in the aldosterone activated Na channel
- channel is always ‘on’ –> Na retention –> hypertension
how do diuretics work?
- by inhibiting the reabsorption of Na and Cl
- losing more ions to the urine means water follows
- they also increase the osmolarity of the tubular fluid
what are the 5 major classes of diuretics? give examples of each
- osmotic diuretics (e.g. mannitol)
- carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (e.g. acetazolamide)
- loop diuretics (e.g. frusemide)
- thiazides (e.g. bendrofluazide)
- potassium sparing diuretics (e.g. spironolactone)
where do osmotic diuretics act?
throughout the kidney
how do osmotic diuretics work?
- they are filtered by the glomerulus but not reabsorbed
- they increase the osmolarity of the tubular fluid
- the increased osmolarity is maintained throughout
- if there is a higher osmolarity in the tubule, less Na and Cl leave so less water leaves the tubule as there is less of a concentration gradient/osmotic force
- there is a decrease in water reabsorption where the nephron is freely permeable to water
what are the clinical uses of osmotic diuretics?
pulmonary oedema, cerebral oedema
how do carbonic anhydrase inhibitors work?
- act in the proximal tubule
- inhibits both versions of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme so the bicarbonate and hydrogen aren’t converted to CO2 and H2O effectively
- the little CO2 and H2O that gets in won’t be converted back to bicarbonate and hydrogen ions
- less hydrogen ions means there is less Na-H exchange at the apical membrane
- less Na enters cells and is reabsorbed, so less water follows via osmosis
- water follows Na, so if Na progresses through the tubule so does water
what do carbonic anhydrase inhibitors do to K+?
there is loss of K+ recycling
how do loop diuretics work?
- act at the ascending loop of Henle, targeting to triple transporter
- prevent Na from moving across the cell and into the interstitium, impacting the counter current effect
- Na reabsorption is massively impaired
- tubular fluid osmolarity increases and the medullary interstitium osmolarity decreases so there is less water reabsorption in the collecting duct
what is potassium recycling?
- occurs in the PCT and in the LOH
- the constant movement of potassium replenishes the positive charge to the lumen (which contributes to the positive lumen potential)
- this leads to repulsion within the tubule
- there is a paracellular route between cells that allows Ca, Na and Mg to move across into the interstitium
what happens if potassium recycling is interfered with?
if potassium recycling is interfered with potassium movement is reduced and the excess positive charge is diminished so less Ca, Mg and Na moves through the paracellular route