The role of water and
electrolyte influxes in
anoxia-induced plasma membrane disruption was investigated using rabbit proximal tubule
suspension. The results indicated that normal proximal tubule (PT) cells have a great capacity for expanding cell volume in response to water influx, whereas
anoxia increases the susceptibility to water influx-induced disruption, and this was attenuated by
glycine. However, resistance of anoxic plasma membranes to water influx-induced stress is not lost, although their mechanical strength was diminished, compared with normoxic membranes. Anoxic membranes did not disrupt under an intra-to-extracellular osmotic difference as great as 150 mosM. Potentiating or attenuating water influx by incubating PT cells in hypotonic or hypertonic medium, respectively, during
anoxia, did not affect
anoxia-induced membrane disruption. After the transmembrane
electrolyte concentration gradient was eliminated by a "intracellular"
buffer or by permeabilizing the plasma membrane to molecules <4 kDa using alpha-toxin,
anoxia still caused further membrane disruption that was prevented by
glycine or low pH. These results demonstrate that 1) water or net
electrolyte influxes are probably not a primary cause for
anoxia-induced membrane disruption and 2)
glycine could prevent the plasma membrane disruption during
anoxia independently from its effect on transmembrane
electrolyte or water influxes. The present data support a biochemical rather than a mechanical alteration of the plasma membrane as the underlying cause of membrane disruption during
anoxia.