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Physiology of Renal Handling of Citrate

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Urolithiasis

Abstract

Citrate is a weak organic acid, which is formed endogenously in the Krebs cycle or may be ingested with diet. Dietary citrate gets absorbed almost completely from the intestine and is rapidly metabolized in the liver and kidneys; therefore, Krebs cycle is the primary source of plasma and urinary citrate under normal conditions. As physiological pH is far above the pK avalue of citrate, most of it exists in plasma as citrate3−, which filters freely from glomeruli. Urinary excretion of citrate is predominantly determined by the rate of proximal tubule reabsorption, which takes place in a pH- and Na+-dependent manner through luminal membrane Na+-dicarboxylate cotransporter. Citrate reabsorbed from luminal fluid as well as taken from peritubules is metabolized inside proximal tubular cells. Acid-base balance, urinary divalent cations, potassium depletion, starvation, chronic diarrhea, and malabsorption are important modulators of citrate excretion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi, Sindh, 74800, Pakistan

    Samra Bashir Ph.D. & Naveed Ahmed Khan Ph.D.

  2. Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, The Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, Sindh, 74800, Pakistan

    Anwarul-Hassan Gilani Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Samra Bashir Ph.D.
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  2. Naveed Ahmed Khan Ph.D.
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  3. Anwarul-Hassan Gilani Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samra Bashir Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery Section of Urology, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan

    Jamsheer J. Talati

  2. Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 1, Solna, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden

    Hans-Goran Tiselius

  3. , Syracuse University, Crouse Hospital, 1226 East Water Street, New York, 13210, New York, USA

    David M. Albala

  4. , Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China, People's Republic

    ZHANGQUN YE

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag London

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Bashir, S., Khan, N.A., Gilani, AH. (2012). Physiology of Renal Handling of Citrate. In: Talati, J., Tiselius, HG., Albala, D., YE, Z. (eds) Urolithiasis. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4387-1_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4387-1_21

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4383-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4387-1

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