Effect of sodium concentration and mucosal pH on apical uptake of acetate and butyrate, and barrier function of the isolated bovine ruminal epithelium

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the role of Na⁺ on ruminal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) absorption and barrier function when isolated ruminal epithelium was exposed to high and low pH ex vivo. Nine Holstein steer calves (322 ± 50.9 kg of body weight) consuming 7.05 ± 1.5 kg dry matter of a total mixed ration were euthanized and ruminal tissue was collected from the caudal-dorsal blind sac. Tissues were mounted between 2 halves of Ussing chambers (3.14 cm²) and exposed to buffers that contained low (10 mM) or high (140 mM) Na⁺ with low (6.2) or high (7.4) mucosal pH. The same buffer solutions were used on the serosal side except that pH was maintained at 7.4. Buffers used to evaluate SCFA uptake contained bicarbonate to determine total uptake or excluded bicarbonate and included nitrate to determine noninhibitable uptake. Bicarbonate-dependent uptake was calculated as the difference between the total and noninhibitable uptake. Acetate (25 mM) and butyrate (25 mM) were spiked with 2-³H-acetate and 1-¹⁴C-butyrate, respectively, and were then added to the mucosal side, incubated for 1 min, and tissues were analyzed to evaluate rates of SCFA uptake. Tissue conductance (G_t) and the mucosal-to-serosal flux of 1-³H-mannitol were used to assess barrier function. There were no Na⁺ × pH interactions for butyrate or acetate uptake. Decreasing mucosal pH from 7.4 to 6.2 increased total acetate and butyrate uptake, and bicarbonate-dependent acetate uptake. Flux of 1-³H-mannitol was not affected by treatment. However, high Na⁺ concentration reduced G_t and prevented an increase in G_t from flux period 1 to flux period 2. The results of this study indicate that although providing more Na⁺ to the ruminal epithelium does not affect SCFA uptake or mannitol flux, it may help stabilize tissue integrity.

Keywords: barrier function; rumen; sodium.