Rat Renal Tissue Water and Electrolyte Content in Simple Solutions in Vitro

¹ From the Departments of Zoology, Barnard College and Columbia University, New York City

Tissue slices prepared from rat renal cortex, when incubated in simple solutions in vitro, show a capacity to regulate water content independently of the establishment of definite tissue levels of Na and K. Na may be lost, accompanying water, from hyperhydrated tissue without simultaneous reaccumulation of K. The capacity for parallel adjustment of water and Na content is impaired or lost following maintenance of the tissue at 37°C for 3.5–7 hours under anoxic conditions.