Isolated coiled reabsorptive sweat ducts from normal subjects and patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) were cultured in vitro. Cells were harvested and plated onto permeable supports to form confluent cell sheets. The Ussing chamber technique was used to study pharmacological regulation of the transepithelial ion transport in these membranes. 2. Addition of a stable cyclic AMP analogue, 8-Br-cyclic AMP, to normal cell cultures resulted in a decrease of the transepithelial potential difference (PD). 3. Forskolin exposure resulted in a similar PD decrease, which was augmented by the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX). 4. Exposure to isoprenaline, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and phenylephrine resulted in a response mimicking the forskolin-induced response, that was also amplified by IBMX. 5. Pre-incubation with cholera toxin abolished the isoprenaline response and reduced the control resistance. 6. Propranolol abolished the responses induced by isoprenaline and phenylephrine, whereas phentolamine had no effect. PGE2-induced responses were inert to both types of blockers. 7. Indomethazine addition to an unstimulated membrane resulted in a weak PD increase, i.e. a response opposite to that induced by isoprenaline. 8. IBMX addition to an unstimulated membrane resulted in a weak isoprenaline-like response. When the cells were pre-treated with indomethazine this IBMX response was absent. 9. Unidirectional Cl- isotope flux studies demonstrated a large increase of net Cl- reabsorption in response to isoprenaline and PGE2. 10. Mannitol isotope flux studies revealed that the paracellular permeability was unaffected by isoprenaline exposure. 11. Membranes derived from CF patients did not respond similarly to any of these agents. However, a weak spike, occasionally followed by a gradual increase of the short-circuit current (Iscc), was observed in both normal subjects and CF patients. 12. It is concluded that the primary effect on ion transport of factors increasing the cyclic AMP in normal cultured sweat duct cells is an activation of a transcellular Cl- permeability. This effect was missing in cells derived from CF patients.
