This study examines the existence of the urinary albumin degradation pathway and the proposed role of receptor-mediated endocytosis in this process using the isolated perfused rat kidney (IPK) model. Albumin-derived peptides in IPK urine are analyzed in terms of their relative size distribution using radioactivity and absorbance at 214 nm, and their susceptibility to trypsin digestion. The effects of perfusing kidneys with concanamycin A and myristoyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (MTMAB), inhibitors of the receptor-mediated endocytosis regulators vacuolar-type H(+) ATPase (v-ATPase) and dynamin GTPase, respectively, are examined. Normal IPK urine contains mildly degraded (defined as approximately 10-40 kDa; 43.0 +/- 8.3%) and heavily degraded (defined as <10 kDa; 22.6 +/- 7.7%) albumin peptides as well as intact albumin (34.5 +/- 4.1%). The relative size distribution of the peptides is similar by radioactivity and absorbance at 214 nm, and both profiles are reduced to very small peptides following trypsin digestion. Administration of concanamycin A or MTMAB causes a significant increase in the proportion of intact albumin (concanamycin A: 55.8 +/- 11.6%; MTMAB: 50.0 +/- 11.9%) excreted compared with normal IPK urine. This coincides with a reduction in the proportion of mildly (concanamycin A: 27.6 +/- 9.8%; MTMAB: 39.9 +/- 11.5%) and heavily degraded (concanamycin A: 16.6 +/- 7.4%; MTMAB: 10.0 +/- 2.5%) albumin present and is not associated with changes in glomerular permeability to albumin because no significant change is observed in the fractional clearance of Ficoll (radius range 20-60 A) in the presence of concanamycin A. This study demonstrates the existence of albumin peptides in IPK urine and suggests that receptor-mediated endocytosis plays a role in urinary albumin degradation.