Furosemide blocks basolateral membrane Cl- permeability in gallbladder epithelium.

In Necturus gallbladders bathed in a NaCl Ringer solution buffered with 10 mM HCO3(-)-1% CO2, furosemide (added to the serosal solution) caused a concentration-dependent hyperpolarization of both cell membranes that was slow and reversible. At 10(-3) M furosemide, the basolateral membrane voltage (Vcs) increased significantly from -71 +/- 3 to -85 +/- 3 mV, the depolarization of Vcs elicited by a 10-fold rise in serosal [K+] increased from 34 +/- 4 to 50 +/- 1 mV, the depolarization elicited by lowering serosal [Cl-] from 98 to 8.1 mM was reduced from 15 +/- 1 to 1 +/- 1 mV, and the depolarization in response to lowering serosal [HCO3-] from 10 to 1 mM was reduced from 13 +/- 1 to 5 +/- 0.4 mV. Furosemide could in principle decrease the basolateral membrane Cl- conductance (Gcl), increase the basolateral membrane K+ conductance, or have a combined effect. To distinguish among these possibilities, we estimated the resistance of the basolateral membrane (Rb) by means of two-point intraepithelial cable analysis experiments. Furosemide increased Rb by 22%, which indicates that furosemide reduces basolateral membrane Gcl. The effect cannot be attributed to inhibition of apical membrane anion exchange by serosal addition of furosemide, because base secretion from cells to lumen is unchanged. We conclude that furosemide blocks reversibly basolateral membrane electrodiffusive Cl- permeability. A concomitant stimulation of basolateral membrane electrodiffusive K+ permeability is also possible.