Osmolality, vasopressin-stimulated cAMP, and PGE2 synthesis in rat collecting tubule cells

Abstract

Using rat renal papillary collecting tubule (RPCT) cells in culture, we examined the interactions of extracellular osmolality, vasopressin-stimulated cAMP, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. Hypertonic solutions composed of equiosmolar amounts of urea and sodium chloride, 900-2,400 mosM, potentiated the increases of intracellular cAMP after vasopressin stimulation. Sodium chloride, rather than urea, was the important solute. The mechanism of this augmented cAMP response was complex, probably involving increased synthesis, decreased degradation, and reduced efflux of cAMP from the RPCT cells. The potentiating actions of hypertonic sodium chloride were specific for vasopressin-stimulated cAMP and were not observed for forskolin or PGE2-stimulated cAMP. Hypertonic solutions inhibited RPCT cell PGE2 production, and sodium chloride, rather than urea, was again the important solute. The enzymatic site of sodium chloride inhibition of PGE2 synthesis was apparently on the phospholipase enzymes, assessed by calcium ionophore and bradykinin stimulation, and not on cyclooxygenase, measured by arachidonic acid responsiveness. Reductions of osmolality, from 1,800 to 300 mosM, acutely increased PGE2 release, possibly through a calcium-dependent stimulation of phospholipase. We conclude that conditions that prevail in vivo during antidiuresis, namely hypertonicity of the papillary interstitium, may augment vasopressin responsiveness through increments of collecting tubule cAMP and reductions of PGE2 which could, in concert, maximize water reabsorption in the collecting tubule.