Bacillus anthracis Edema Toxin Increases Fractional Free Water and Sodium Reabsorption in an Isolated Perfused Rat Kidney Model.

Bacillus anthracis edema toxin (ET) consists of protective antigen (PA), necessary for host cell toxin uptake, and edema factor (EF), the toxic moiety which increases host cell cyclic AMP (cAMP). Since vasopressin stimulates renal water and sodium reabsorption via increased tubular cell cAMP levels, we hypothesized the ET would also do so. To test this hypothesis, we employed an isolated perfused rat kidney model. Kidneys were isolated and perfused with modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer. Perfusate and urine samples were obtained at baseline and every 10 min over 150 min following the addition of challenges with or without treatments to the perfusate. In kidneys perfused under constant flow or constant pressure, compared to PA challenge (n = 14 or 15 kidneys, respectively), ET (13 or 15 kidneys, respectively) progressively increased urine cAMP levels, water and sodium reabsorption, and urine osmolality and decreased urine output (P ≤ 0.04, except for sodium reabsorption under constant pressure [P = 0.17]). In ET-challenged kidneys, compared to placebo treatment, adefovir, an EF inhibitor, decreased urine cAMP levels, water and sodium reabsorption, and urine osmolality and increased urine output, while raxibacumab, a PA-directed monoclonal antibody (MAb), decreased urine cAMP levels, free water reabsorption, and urine osmolality and increased urine output (P ≤ 0.03 except for urine output with raxibacumab [P = 0.17]). Upon immunohistochemistry, aquaporin 2 was concentrated along the apical membrane of tubular cells with ET but not PA, and urine aquaporin 2 levels were higher with ET (5.52 ± 1.06 ng/ml versus 1.51 ± 0.44 ng/ml [means ± standard errors of the means {SEM}; P = 0.0001). Edema toxin has renal effects that could contribute to extravascular fluid collection characterizing anthrax infection clinically.