Effects of aldosterone on Na+ transport in the toad bladder. II. The anaerobic response.

The action of aldosterone on active Na+ transport was assessed under aerobic and anaerobic conditions in the isolated urinary bladder of the toad, Bufo marinus. Aldosterone augmented the short-circuit current (Isc) under rigorous anaerobiosis. Four lines of evidence indicate that the increase in anaerobic Isc does not represent an equivalent increase in active Na+ transport: 1. Net Na transport, determined by isotopic fluxes, was the same in the aldosterone-treated and control quarter-bladders, and significantly greater than the simultaneously measured Isc-2. Amiloride, an inhibitor of the apical entry of Na+, did not reduce the steroid-dependent increase in the anaerobic Isc-3. Substitution of choline for Na+ in the mucosal medium reduced the magnitude of the anaerobic Isc values but did not eliminate the effect of aldosterone. 4. Addition of ouabain, a potent inhibitor of the Na+ pump, partially inhibited the effect of aldosterone on the anerobic Isc but a significant hormonal increment remained. The source of the anaerobic Isc was not identified; an effort was made, however, to determine the dependence of this current on glycolysis. During anaerobiosis, aldosterone increased the integral Isc by 42% but did not alter lactate production. These results suggest that the steroid-dependent increase in the anaerobic Isc may involve effects on permeability properties of the epithelium rather than on active transport systems.