THE EFFECT OF THYROID HORMONES ON WATER PERMEABILITY OF THE ISOLATED BLADDER OF THE TOAD BUFO BUFO

Abstract

SUMMARY: Thyroxine at 10⁻⁶m concentration enhances water movement from the mucosal to the serosal surface of the isolated toad bladder in the absence of an osmotic gradient. It is suggested that this is caused by the effect of thyroxine on sodium transport which creates a driving force for the increased water movement. Thyroxine caused this effect when applied on either side of the membrane, but was more effective when applied to the serosal surface. Incubation of different bladders successively in the same triiodothyronine solution indicated that triiodothyronine may be rapidly utilized. A mixture of thyroxine and triiodothyronine caused a diphasic effect on water loss down an osmotic gradient. The analogues tetraiodothyroproprionic acid and tetraiodothyroformic acid had no effect on water movement down an osmotic gradient across the isolated toad bladder nor did they affect oxygen uptake or sodium transport. The results support the concept that thyroxine and triiodothyronine act on permeability processes in and across cell membranes.