To evaluate the effect of hyper- and hypotonicity on proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) cell volume, nonperfused PCT were studied in vitro with hypertonic solutions containing sodium chloride, urea, or mannitol (450 mosmol/kg H2O) and with hypotonic low sodium chloride solutions (160 mosmol/kg H2O). When the tubules were subjected to hypertonic peritubular solutions containing NaCl, cell volume immediately decreased by 15.5% and remained constant throughout the experimental period (60 min). With mannitol, the initial decrease was identical to that with NaCl (17.7%), but the PCT volume increased slightly during the experimental period. With urea, the decrease in cell volume was smaller (7%) and transient. In hypotonicity, the PCT swelled rapidly, but this swelling was followed by a rapid regulatory phase in which PCT volume nearly returned to control values after less than 10 min. With a potassium-free peritubular medium or 10(-3) M ouabain, the regulatory phase of hypotonicity completely disappeared, whereas the cells did not maintain their reduced volume in NaCl-induced hypertonicity. These results suggest that Na-K-ATPase plays an important role in the maintenance of a reduced cellular volume in hypertonicity and in the regulatory phase of hypotonicity, probably by an active extrusion of sodium and water from the cell.