Cadmium inhibits glucose uptake in primary cultures of mouse cortical tubule cells.

We studied the effect of cadmium (Cd2+) on transport of alpha-methylglucoside in primary cultures of mouse kidney cortical tubule cells grown in defined medium. When cultured cells were exposed to Cd2+ concentrations from 0 to 6 microM for 24 h, uptake of alpha-methylglucoside was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by up to 50%. By contrast, acute exposure of the cells to 7 microM Cd2+ for 60 min did not inhibit alpha-methylglucoside uptake. Increasing Cd2+ concentrations progressively decreased the Vmax of Na(+)-dependent glucose cotransport but not the Km for glucose. Cell ATP/ADP ratios of unexposed monolayers and of cells exposed to 4.5 microM Cd2+ for 24 h were 5.0 and 4.9, respectively (n = 3). Intracellular volume, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and cell Na+ and K+ concentrations were unaltered even after 24 h of exposure to 7 microM Cd2+. Untreated and Cd2+-treated monolayers preloaded with alpha-methylglucoside released the sugar analogue into the medium at nearly identical rates, indicating that Cd2+ did not alter cell permeability to glucose. Uptake of the amino acid analogue alpha-(methylamino)isobutyric acid was not affected by prior Cd2+ exposure. Whereas cell DNA content declined in Cd2(+)-exposed plates, both Na(+)-glucose and Na(+)-amino acid cotransport were enhanced at lower cell densities. Protein and DNA synthesis, estimated, respectively, by incorporation of [3H]leucine and [3H]thymidine into acid-insoluble material, were not significantly affected at 6 microM Cd2+. We conclude that after a lag time Cd2+ selectively inhibits renal Na(+)-dependent glucose transport despite an unchanged gradient for Na+ across the cell membrane.