Effects of amphotericin B on the electrical properties ofNecturus gallbladder: Intracellular microelectrode studies

Summary

Intracellular microelectrode techniques were employed to study the mechanism by which amphotericin B induces a transient mucosa-negative transepithelial potential (ΔV _ms) in the gallbladder ofNecturus. When the tissue was incubated in standard Na-Ringer's solution, the antibiotic reduced the apical membrane potential by about 40 mV, and the basolateral membrane potential by about 35 mV whereas the transepithelial potential increased by about 5 mV. The electrical resistance of the apical membrane fell by 83%, and that of the basolateral membrane by 40%; the paracellular resistance remained unchanged. Circuit analysis indicated that the equivalent electromotive forces of the apical and basolateral membranes fell by 35 and 11 mV, respectively. Changes in potentials and resistances produced by ionic substitutions in the mucosal bathing medium showed that amphotericin B produces a nonselective increase in apical membrane small monovalent cation conductance (K, Na, Li). In the presence of Na-Ringer's on the mucosal side, this resulted in a reduction of the K permselectivity of the membrane, and thus in a fall of its equivalent emf. During short term exposure to amphotericin B,P _Na/P _Cl across the paracellular pathway did not change significantly, whereasP _K/P _Na doubled. These results indicate that ΔV _ms is due to an increase of g_Na across the luminal membranes of the epithelial cells (Cremaschiet al., 1977,J. Membrane Biol. 34:55); the data do not support the alternative hypothesis (Rose & Nahrwold, 1976.J. Membrane Biol. 29:1) that ΔV _ms results from a reduction in shuntP _Na/P _Cl acting in combination with a rheogenic basolateral Na pump.