Solvent isotope effect on bile formation in the rat.

2H2O affects many membrane transport processes by solvent and kinetic isotope effects. Since bile formation is a process of osmotic filtration where such effects could be important, we investigated the effects of 2H2O on bile formation in the in situ perfused rat liver. Dose finding experiments showed that at high concentrations, 2H2O increased vascular resistance and induced cholestasis; at 60% 2H2O however, a clear dissociation between the vascular and biliary effects was observed. Therefore, further experiments were carried out at this concentration. The main finding was a reduction in bile salt-independent bile flow from 0.99 +/- 0.04 to 0.66 +/- 0.04 microliters.min-1.g-1 (P < 0.001). This was associated with a 40% reduction in biliary bicarbonate concentration (P < 0.001). Choleretic response to neither taurocholate nor ursodeoxycholate was altered by 2H2O; in particular, there was a similar stimulation of bicarbonate secretion by ursodeoxycholate in the presence of 60% 2H2O. To further elucidate this phenomenon, the effect of 2H2O on three proteins potentially involved in biliary bicarbonate secretion was studied in vitro. 2H2O slightly inhibited cytosolic carboanhydrase and leukocyte Na+/H(+)-exchange, these effects reached statistical significance at 100% 2H2O only, however. In contrast, Cl-/HCO(3-)-exchange in canalicular membrane vesicles was already inhibited by 50% (P < 0.001) at 60% 2H2O. Finally, there was a slight reduction in biliary glutathione secretion while that of the disulphide was not affected. Our results are compatible with an inhibition of canalicular Cl-/HCO(3-)-exchange by 2H2O. Whether this is due to altered hydration of the exchanger and/or of the transported bicarbonate remains to be determined.