Effects of angiotensin II and vasopressin on intracellular pH of glomerular mesangial cells.

We investigated changes in intracellular pH (pHi) of cultured rat glomerular mesangial cells (MCs) exposed to angiotensin II (ANG II) and arginine vasopressin (AVP). pHi of quiescent MCs, passage 2-5, and grown on glass cover slips, was assessed by spectrofluorometry using the pH-sensitive dye, 2,7-biscarboxyethyl-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF). The steady-state pHi of MCs in a pH 7.4, HCO3-free N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-buffered solution was 7.10 +/- 0.02 (n = 68) and in a pH 7.4, HCO3-containing solution, was 7.23 +/- 0.03 (n = 47) (P less than 0.01). The pHi recovery following an NH+4-induced acid load was inhibited by removal of Na+ from the bath or by addition of the amiloride analogue, ethyl isopropyl amiloride (EIPA). These effects were observed in MCs bathed in HEPES- or in HCO3-buffered solutions, consistent with the action of a Na+-H+ exchanger. When cells were bathed in HEPES, a 10-min exposure to ANG II or AVP (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) caused early and transient acidification of MCs (maximal pH change was -0.10), followed by gradual alkalinization (maximal pHi change +0.15 above the initial value). The increase of pHi was dependent on the presence of Na+ in the bath and was inhibited by EIPA. In the presence of HCO3, ANG II or AVP induced merely a small gradual acidification of MCs (pHi change -0.05). These findings demonstrate that MCs utilize a Na+-H+ exchanger for acid extrusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)