Water uptake by the crab-eating frog Rana cancrivora, as affected by osmotic gradients and by neurohypophysial hormones.

Abstract

1. The rate of water uptake across the skin was investigated in live Rana cancrivora, an euryhaline frog which has been reported to tolerate sea water. When they were exposed to distilled water at 29 degrees C, the rate of water uptake was 8.4 +/- 0.4 mul./cm(2).hr; when bathed in solutions ranging from 30 to 570 m-osmole/l., irrespective of whether the solute was sucrose, urea or NaCl, the rate of fluid uptake during the first day was inversely related to the osmolarity of the solution. No appreciable fluid movement was observed when the bathing solution had an osmolar concentration of 270 m-osmole/l.2. The rate of fluid uptake was not affected by injections of vasopressin, oxytocin or of extracts of amphibian or rat pituitary glands, irrespective of whether R. cancrivora were bathed in distilled water or in solutions of NaCl or sucrose.3. In Bufo melanostictus, in contrast with R. cancrivora, injections of neurohypophysial extracts produced a marked increase of the rate of fluid uptake.4. In the laboratory, R. cancrivora could be acclimatized stepwise to tolerate NaCl solutions up to 700 m-osmole/l. for 7 days.5. After 24 hr exposure either to distilled water or to NaCl solutions from 100 to 670 m-osmole/l., the osmolar concentration of the plasma of R. cancrivora was always higher than that of the bathing fluid. In R. pipiens or R. temporaria plasma osmolar concentration was higher than that of the bathing fluid only when the latter did not exceed 300 m-osmole/l.6. Under all conditions investigated, the osmolar concentration of the urine of R. cancrivora was always lower than that of the plasma.7. The amounts of pressor and oxytocic activities of pituitary glands of R. cancrivora kept in distilled water or in NaCl solutions up to 300 m-osmole/l. were 8.9 +/- 0.8 and 1.8 +/- 0.3 m-u./gland, irrespective of sex or body weight within the range 30-50 g. After 3 days exposure to hypertonic NaCl solutions, the amounts of pressor and oxytocic activities were 14.7 +/- 1.2 and 3.1 +/- 0.3 m-u./gland. In both instances the pressor/oxytocic ratio was 4.9. Pituitary glands of R. temporaria similarly showed increased pressor and oxytocic activities after exposure to NaCl solutions of 300-360 m-osmole/l.