Renal Transport Of Organic Substances

This book is a collection of reviews on the renal transport of organic substances. The first chapters deal with general aspects of the topic. The following articles treat the present knowledge on the renal trans port of specific compounds or classes of organic substances, whereas the fmal chapter on comparative physiology deals with the renal trans port of organic substances in non-mammalian vertebrates. The articles of this volume were presented in an abbreviated form as introductory lectures at a recent Symposium on Renal Transport of Organic Substances. This conference was organized by Prof. Deetjen and the editors, and was held in Innsbruck, Austria, in July 1980 at the Department of Physiology of the University of Innsbruck. During this conference the authors of the free communications (published as abstracts ill Renal Physiology, 2 (3), pp 135-166 (1980) as well as Drs. C. Gottschalk, T. Hoshi, K.C. Huang, J.P. Kokko, Ch. de Rouffignac, K. Scharer, BM. Schmidt-Nielsen, and J.A. Young, who acted as chair persons at the meeting, were invaluable contributors to the discussions of the topics reviewed in this volume. We hope that the book will be of value to nephrologists, to renal physiologists, and to those who are involved in teaching physiology, pharmacology, and internal medicine.

Hepatic cells are involved in the metabolization and elimination of a variety of endogenous and exogenous substances. They mediate the uptake, processing and subsequent secretion of biliary compounds, such as various drugs or hormones, and the passage of metabolites to be released into different blood compartments. To perform vectorial passages hepatocytes show a strong polarity with sites for endocytotic processes or specific carrier molecules, and a specified system of organelles for intracellular transport and sorting, metabolization and secretion of compounds. Several aspects, e.g. regulation, control and mechanisms of hepatic traffic are reported in detail - complemented by methodological approaches to analyse and monitor these processes.

This second edition offers a comprehensive overview of the physiological functions of vertebrate kidneys from a comparative viewpoint, with particular emphasis on nonmammalian vertebrates. The topics covered include renal structure; glomerular ultrafiltration; tubular transport of inorganic ions, organic substances, and fluid; and urine dilution and concentration. Mammalian renal function is only considered for purposes of comparison with nonmammalian renal function and as a frame of reference for some of the discussions. The major findings on nonmammalian renal function and the important unanswered questions raised by those findings are described in detail. As such, the book provides comprehensive information on comparative renal function for biological scientists and advanced students of biology with some knowledge of physiology and a desire to know more about renal function in vertebrates, and for mammalian renal physiologists who wish to obtain a broader view of renal function.

Because progress in the field of transporters has been extraordinary, this volume will focus on recent advances in our understanding of the structure, function, physiology, and molecular biology of membrane transporters. There will be an emphasis on transporters as molecular targets for drug delivery and disposition in the body.

Dr. Goldstein has authored more than 50 publications and co-edited two books. Her latest contribution to the field of nephrology, Mechanisms of Injury in Renal Disease and Toxicity, promotes an understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms mediating renal dysfunction in disease. It provides an important perspective in understanding mechanisms of chemically induced renal injury. Over the past decade, understanding of the pathophysiologic and molecular basis of renal disease has grown tremendously. New and evolving concepts on the pathophysiology of glomerulonephritis, chronic glomerular injury, diabetic nephropathy, and acute renal failure are changing the clinical management of these disease states.

The intestine, particularly the small bowel, represents a large surface (in the adult 2 human approximately 200 m ) through which the body is exposed to its environ ment. A vigorous substrate exchange takes place across this large surface: nutrients and xenobiotics are absorbed from the lumen into the bloodstream or the lymph, and simultaneously, the same types of substrate pass back into the lumen. The luminal surface of the intestine is lined with a "leaky" epithelium, thus the passage of the substrates, in either direction, proceeds via both transcellular and intercellular routes. Simple and carrier-mediated diffusion, active transport, pinocytosis, phagocytosis and persorption are all involved in this passage across the intestinal wall. The term "intestinal permeation" refers to the process of passage of various substances across the gut wall, either from the lumen into the blood or lymph, or in the opposite direction. "Permeability" is the condition of the gut which governs the rate of this complex two-way passage. The pharmacologist's interest in the problem of intestinal permeation is twofold: on the one hand, this process determines the bioavailability of drugs and contributes significantly to the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of xeno biotics; on the other hand, the pharmacodynamic effects of many drugs are manifested in a signigicant alteration of the physiological process of intestinal permeation.