Dose-dependence of the effects of corticosterone and the non-glucocorticoid, 18-hydroxycorticosterone, on the brush-border Na+/K+ exchanger.

P Igarreta, C P Lantos, J C Calvo, A A Paladini, M C Damasco

Index: Endocr. Res. 24(3-4) , 601-5, (1998)

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Abstract

Up to now, only glucocorticoids were thought to act on the renal proximal Na+/H+ exchanger. Using fluorimetric techniques we studied the kinetics of Na+/H+ exchange in brush border vesicles from ADX rats treated with increasing doses of corticosterone (B) and 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18OHB). Significant linear correlations were obtained when the Vmax of each treatment were plotted against log doses. 18OHB exhibits a slightly higher sensitivity than B and log-dose responses were steeper for 18OHB than for B treated rats. Differences between both treatments were highly significant at the 4.8 microg/100 g level, corresponding to the physiological blood level of 18OHB. Physiological doses of both steroids elicited equal Na+/H+ exchange-responses. 18OHB is not a glucocorticoid since even 88 microg/100 g did not promote hepatic glycogen deposition while the same dose of B increases glycogen deposits 3.5-fold. These results demonstrate the importance of the Na+/H+ exchanger as a mediator between corticoid action and H+ transport and that of the non-glucocorticoid 18OHB in this process.