Ethanol increases renal AQP2 expression in adult rats and their offspring

Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife (2003) J Physiol 548P, P32

Poster Communications: Ethanol increases renal AQP2 expression in adult rats and their offspring

Marta García-Delgado, María J. Peral, Olga García-Benítez, Olimpia Carreras and Anunciación A. Ilundáin

Departamento Fisiología y Zoología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain

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Studies on renal water excretion were carried out in suckling Wistar rats born to mothers given ethanol (Tavares et al. 1999) during gestation and the suckling period and the results were compared to offspring of dams given diets containing no ethanol. Comparisons were also made between progenitors (mothers and fathers) with or without prolonged ethanol ingestion.

The experiments were performed in accordance with the requirements of the European convention for the care and use of laboratory animals. Rats were anaesthetized by I.P. injection of urethane (14 %). Plasma levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and aldosterone, urine and renal papillary osmolality, urine outflow and kidney aquoporin 2 (AQP2) expression were determined (Murillo-Carretero et al. 1999; Peral et al. 2002). For urine collection, metabolic cages were used. Apical membranes were isolated as previously described (Garcia-Delgado et al. 2001).

Maternal ethanol ingestion during pregnancy and the suckling period decreases urine outflow and increases urine and renal papillary osmolality of the offspring. These changes were also observed in the ethanol-treated progenitors, although they were of smaller magnitude. In the offspring, ethanol exposure increases kidney AQP2 mRNA expression and apical membrane protein abundance by 1.5- and 3-fold, respectively. In the case of the progenitors, ethanol treatment increases renal AQP2 mRNA expression and apical membrane protein abundance 2- and 1.5-fold, respectively. Plasma levels of AVP and aldosterone tend to increase in the ethanol-exposed animals, but the increases were not significant.

These results suggest that the ethanol-related decrease in urine outflow is associated with up-regulation of AQP2 expression, which appears to be independent of plasma levels of either AVP or aldosterone.

This work was supported by grants from the Spanish DGICYT PM99-0121 and PM98-159.



Where applicable, experiments conform with Society ethical requirements.

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