Abstract
Countercurrent mechanisms are present in many organs in animals and humans. A countercurrent arrangement of the vasa recta and loops of Henle is a prerequisite for the kidney to concentrate urine, some desert mammals being able to concentrate their urine to -6000 mosmol/kg Hz0 (1). Another interesting countercurrent mechanism is found in certain fishes that can establish a high gas tension in their swimbladders via a cooperation between a countercurrent exchanger and a gas gland (2). In the gastrointestinal tract, countercurrent exchangers have been described in the intestinal villi and in the papillae of the ruminant stomach. The experimental evidence for the existence of this mechanism in the small intestine is more extensive than for the rumen. Furthermore, the function of the mammalian intestine is more pertinent to human disease. Therefore, most of the present review will be devoted to the intestinal countercurrent exchanger.
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