Hrnjez, Bruce J., Jaekyung C. Song, Madhu Prasad, Julio M. Mayol, and Jeffrey B. Matthews. Ammonia blockade of intestinal epithelial [K.sup.+] conductance. Am. J. Physiol. 277 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 40): G521-G532, 1999.--Ammonia profoundly inhibits cAMP-dependent [Cl.sup.-] secretion in model T84 human intestinal crypt epithelia. Because colonic lumen concentrations of ammonia are high (10-70 mM), ammonia may be a novel regulator of secretory diarrheal responsiveness. We defined the target of ammonia action by structure-function analysis with a series of primary amines (ammonia, methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, butylamine, pentylamine, hexylamine, heptylamine, and octylamine) that vary principally in size and lipid solubilities. The amine concentrations required for 50% inhibition of C[1.sup.-] secretion in intact monolayers and 50% inhibition of outward [K.sup.+] current ([I.sub.K]) in apically permeabilized monolayers vs. the logs of the respective amine partition coefficients give two plots that are strikingly similar in character. Half-maximal inhibition of short-circuit current ([I.sub.sc]) by ammonia was seen at 6 mM and for [I.sub.K] at 4 mM; half-maximal inhibition for octylamine was 0.24 mM and 0.19 mM for [I.sub.sc] and [I.sub.K], respectively. The preferentially water-soluble hydrophilic amines (ammonia, methylamine, ethylamine) increase in blocking ability with decreasing size and lipophilicity. Conversely, the preferentially lipid-soluble hydrophobic (propylamine, butylamine, pentylamine, hexylamine, heptylamine, octylamine) amines increase in blocking ability with increasing size and lipophilicity. Ammonia does not affect isolated apical [Cl.sup.-] conductance; amine-induced changes in cytosolic and endosomal pH do not correlate with secretory inhibition. We propose that ammonia in its protonated ammonium form [MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSION NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] inhibits cAMP-dependent [Cl.sup.-] secretion in T84 monolayers by blocking basolateral [K.sup.+] channels. ammonia; chloride; diarrhea; T84 cells; pH