Active and passive chloride movements across isolated amphibian skin

Abstract

Several aspects of chloride passage through isolated amphibian skin were studied. The chloride transport performed by the skin of the frog Leptodactylus ocellatus or the passive chloride fluxes observed in the skin of the toad Bufo arenarum Hensel are not affected by antidiuretic hormone. The chloride transport produces a negative potential and a short-circuit current in sodium-free solutions, though the unidirectional fluxes of chloride are greatly reduced under these conditions. The short-circuit current due to the chloride transport is smaller than the net chloride flux. It was found that this disagreement could be ascribed to a loss of sodium toward the inside from the sodium pool of the skin. Antidiuretic hormone did not affect the chloride current, nor the sodium loss from the skin. The isolated skin of the toad Bufo arenarum Hensel does not transport chloride ions. Thus the active transport of chloride observed in isolated skins of the frog Leptodactylus ocellatus does not depend on environmental conditions, since both animals live in the same surroundings.