Mechanisms of fluid absorption during proximal tubule development.

Passive permeation characteristics and paracellular pathway ultrastructure were studied in vitro by perfusion of rabbit isolated proximal convoluted tubules during postnatal ontogenesis. The influence upon net volume flow (Jv) of transepithelial hydrostatic and protein osmotic pressure was significantly higher during early postnatal maturation than in the mature tubule. Hydraulic hydrostatic conductance (X10(-3) ml - cm-2 - min-1 - cm H2O-1) was 0.0367 +/- 0.0048 during early postnatal maturation (N = 99) and 0.0052 +/- 0.002 at maturity (N = 78). Hyperoncotic serum (12.7 +/- 0.4 g/100 ml) in the bath increased Jv by 67.5 +/- 21.1% from 0.31 +/- 0.06 to 0.52 +/- 0.08 nl-mm-1-min-1 in the neonatal proximal tubule, whereas an increase of only 25.7 +/- 20.4% from 1.08 +/- 0.15 to 1.32 +/- 0.18 nl-mm-1-min-1 was noted in the mature proximal tubule during this elevated bath protein-osmotic pressure. Electron microscopic observations showed that microperoxidase passed from tubule lumen through the basement membrane via intercellular spaces in immature tubules perfused at an increased transtubular pressure gradient. This suggests that a transepithelial shunt pathway may participate in changes of conductance during ontogenesis, although length and ultrastructural configuration of tight junctions did not vary with these variables. 1) Hydrostatic and oncotic water conductance of the rabbit proximal tubule changes with postnatal development. 2) Ultrastructural tracer studies suggest that the change in conductance is due to alteration of the paracellular pathway. 3) Isotonic absorption of the neonatal proximal tubule may depend more on transepithelial pressure gradients than in the mature tubule.