NOTE: This plain text article interpretation has been digitally created by OCR software to estimate the article text, to help both users and search engines find relevant article content.  To read the actual article text, view or download the PDF above.

Reprinted from FEDERATION PROCEEDINGS Vol. 19, No, 1, Pt. I    March 1960

Printed in United States of America

3

EFFECTS OF OUAFAIK OF K AND NA CONCENTRATIONS IN RESTING RAPEIT AURICLES. P. N. Kitt and R. S. Tuttle». Dept, of Pharmacology, State Univ. of N.Y., Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, N. Y.

A relationship vas sought between dose of cardiac glycoside and its K depleting effect. In control experiments left rabbit auricles incubated for 2 hours at 37°C in Tyrode*s solution gradually lost K (31%) and gained Na (202%) as determined in the digests by flame photometry# Ouabain 10″‘ produced, in beating auricles, a steady increase in contractility. In resting auricles it diminished the 2 hour K loss to 13% while Na concentration was not above controls. 10″* ouabain which produced failure in beating auricles in 30 minutes decreased intracellular K concentration in 2 hours 54% and increased intracellular Na 202%. These results can be interpreted as meaning that a low or “therapeutic” glycoside concentration prevents K loss which is observed under control experimental conditions. On the other hand concentrations of ouabain which are toxic deplete the auricles of K and allow Na éntry into the cells. These effects of different concentrations of ouabain may explain discrepancies in the literature. (Supported by a grant from the American Heart Association).