{"id":1481,"date":"2025-04-29T15:23:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T13:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.physiologie2.med.fau.de\/?page_id=1481"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:28:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:28:06","slug":"forschung_korbmacher","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.physiologie2.med.fau.de\/en\/forschung_korbmacher\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab Prof. Korbmacher"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Lab Prof. Korbmacher<\/h1>\n\n\n

The research focus of the group of Prof. Dr. C. Korbmacher is the physiology and pathophysiology of renal and epithelial ion channels. In the kidney and other epithelial organs, ion channels are involved in mediating highly selective and regulated transepithelial ion transport. To study these ion channels and their regulation is of physiological and pathophysiological relevance, because an inappropriate function of renal ion channels may cause for example arterial hypertension, renal salt wasting syndromes, or polycystic kidney disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Member of the Transregio (SFB) TRR374<\/a>
Research project A4: Tubular and interstitial proteases as regulators of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renal epithelial ion channels<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Publications of Christoph Korbmacher<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Renal sodium and potassium homeostasis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sodium homeostasis and potassium homeostasis are intimately linked and critically important for the survival of the human organism. Homeostatic regulation primarily depends on the ability of the kidney to match dietary sodium and potassium intake with appropriate renal excretion. Maintaining sodium balance is essential for the control of extracellular fluid volume and blood pressure. Inappropriate renal sodium retention will cause expansion of extracellular fluid volume and may result in arterial hypertension and edema. In contrast, renal sodium wasting causes extracellular volume depletion resulting in a decrease of arterial blood pressure and eventually circulatory collapse. Maintaining potassium balance is critically important for many cellular functions, including neuronal and cardiac excitability. Renal potassium retention or wasting will ultimately lead to hyperkalemia or hypokalemia, respectively, which may cause cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest. Thus, pathophysiological disturbances of renal sodium or potassium homeostasis result in potentially life threatening disorders. Therefore, it is of great interest to understand the function and regulation of ion channels involved in renal sodium and potassium handling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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