Water & Electrolyte

Homeostasis
Young No

 Overview of Water reabsorption

Osmolarity

Presentation
Breakdown

Electrolyte balance
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone-System (RAAS)
ANP
Dehydration

Why are we concerned about balance:

Required for maintenance of

Water &
Electrolyte
Balance
Overview

Fluid volume
Osmolarity
Ion concentration
pH

Multiple systems working together:

Respiratory
Cardiovascular
Renal
Behavioral
Thirst
Salt Appetite

 Concentration of a solution expressed as total # of solute particles

per liter
Affects cell volume

If ECF osmolarity increases, fluid will move out of cells shrink

If ECF osmolarity decreases, fluid moves in swell

Osmolarity

 Most abundant molecule in the body

50% in females (aged 17 to 39)
60% in males

Intake and Excretion are balanced

Intake:

Water

Drinking water
Intravenous Injection (IV)

Excretion:

Urine
Insensible water loss
Sweating
Diarrhea

 Can only conserve water, not replace it

Kidneys Role

Concentrated urine:
conservation
Diluted urine: excretion of
excess water

 AKA Arginine Vasopressin (AVP) or Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH)

Acts on target cells to make collecting duct epithelium more
permeable
Addition of AQP2 on apical side of the cell

Vasopressin

Absence of vasopressin
Collecting duct is impermeable to water
Dilute urine
Circadian rhythm in adults

Vasopressin
Secretion

Vasopressin Secretion
Controlled by plasma
osmolarity, blood volume, and
blood pressure
Osmoreceptors
As osmolarity increases,
firing of receptors increases

Synthesized in the
hypothalamus, released by
posterior pituitary
When osmolarity 280
mOsM

Fun fact!

Prairie Vole

 Ions that can be dissolved in water

Electrolytes

Necessary in body to maintain electrochemical gradients

Examples?
Na+, Cl-, K+, etc

 Average American diet =

consumption of 9 grams (~2
teaspoons or 155 milliosmoles)
of salt per day

Sodium
Balance

Normal plasma Na+

concentration = 135-145
milliosmoles/L
How much water do we need
to add in order to keep the
[Na+] around 140
milliosmoles, if we consume
155 milliosmoles?

155

x= 1.1 L

140

RAAS

 Decrease in blood sodium levels and BV

Decrease in BP

Hypovolemia

Short term is corrected by baroreceptor reflex

Long term regulated by kidneys
RAAS system
Increase Na+ in blood, water follows, increases BV

 ANP

Atrial
natriuretic
peptide

Produced in specialized myocardial cells in the atria of the heart

Released when increased BV causes atrial stretch
Enhances Na+ and water excretion to decrease BV
Increases GFR in kidneys by dilating afferent aterioles
Directly decreases Na+ reabsorption in collecting duct
Acts as antagonist to RAAS

 Fluid overload

Hypervolemia

Too much fluid in the blood due to increased sodium and water
Seen in congestive heart failure, kidney failure, liver failure

Severe
Dehydration

References
O'Brien, T. (n.d.). The Urinary System [PDF].

References

Silverthorn, D. U. (2001). Human physiology: An integrated

approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Sukharev. (n.d.). Lecture 30- Water Balance and RAAS [PDF].
Wang. (2013). Histone deacetylase inhibitors facilitate partner
preference formation in female prairie voles. Nature Neuroscience.