Inhibition of Na+-Pi cotransporter in small gut brush border by phosphonocarboxylic acids

We examined the effect of phosphonoformic acid (PFA) and phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) upon Na+-Pi cotransport in brush-border membrane (BBM) from small gut of rat. Both PFA and PAA inhibited the Na+ gradient-dependent uptake of 32Pi by BBM vesicles (BBMV) prepared from intestinal mucosa but had no effect on Na+-dependent uptakes of D-[3H]glucose, L-[3H]proline, or [14C]succinate. The uptake in the absence of Na+ gradient, or uptake at equilibrium period (180 min), was not affected by PFA or by PAA. A chemical analogue of PFA and PAA, phosphonopropionic acid, had only a minor inhibitory effect and phenylphosphonic acid was inactive. Neither PFA nor PAA influenced the activity of rat intestinal BBM alkaline phosphatase. The BBMV from rat jejunum had a much higher capacity for Na+ gradient-dependent uptake of 32Pi than BBMV from duodenum or ileum. The inhibition of BBMV 32Pi transport across rat jejunum by PFA is competitive. We suggest that PFA and PAA are specific inhibitors of Na+ gradient-dependent uptake of Pi by BBMV from small intestinal mucosa and that they could serve as useful experimental tools for the studies of intestinal Na+-Pi cotransport.