Estudo comparativo de parâmetros elétricos na absorção de substratos Na+/H+-dependentes em epitélio jejunal e ileal de coelho em câmaras de ussing

Abstract

Cholera is a disease that became endemic in Brazil Northeastern after the pandemic initiated in Peru in 1991. Choleratoxin causes a potent intestinal secretion effect, resulting in significant loss of hydro-electrolyte balance and hypovolemic lock in patients with cholera. We postulate that the administration of substrates, such as amino acids and di-peptide-based glutamine, may increase intestinal sodium and water absorption, resulting in partial decrease of hydro-electrolyte loss in this disease. The aim of this work is to study the phar-macodinamic of Na+ and/or H+-dependent substrates in the rabbit normal small bowel and in the pre-treated with choleratoxin. The administration of substrates with sodium-dependent absorption could, partially, counterbalance the water and electrolyte losses. Others substrates such as di- and tri-peptides presenting mechanisms of proton-dependent absorption also reveal similar properties. The above facts encouraged the development of this comparative study about the ef-fect of cholera toxin on jejunum and ileum absorptive functions. The proximal jejunum and distal ileum loops were isolated in vivo and injected with 5 ml of cholera toxin (1 mg/ml) in saline (experimental group) or equal volume of saline alone (control group). After 1 hour of toxin incubation, the jejunum and ileum loops were excised, freed of their serosa membrane and opened. The fragments were mounted in perfusion chambers with temperature and oxygen control. The mucosal side was perfused with glucose-free physiological solution (substituted by manitol) and the serosas side by physiological solution with glucose. After stabilization, substrates from 1x10-5 to 1.7x10-3 M were cumulatively added. The electric parameters of short circuit current (icc), transepitelial potential difference (VTE) and transepitelial resistance (RTE) were measured in Ussing chambers be-fore and during the period of substrate addition. It was observed that: 1) the presence of cholera toxin increased significantly those parameters, except for RTE, in ileum fragments; 2) the addition of substrates presenting sodium-dependent absorption onto cholera toxin pre-incubated fragments always provoked an increase of RTE larger than that observed with control fragments. The same oc-curred with VTE, except for reduction of icc; and 3) the di-peptide alanyl-glutamine did not alter the RTE but increased significantly the icc both in normal and pre-incubated preparations. These results indicate a probable link between the transport mechanisms of Na+-dependent substrates and the regulatory mechanisms of the paracellular resistance, phenomena not observed in H+-dependent substrate absorption.