The purpose of this study was to measure intracellular sodium ion activities in skeletal muscle and to explore the relationship between cell membrane potntial and sodium ion activity. A piece of diaphragmatic muscle was fixed on the floor of perftusion chamber and circumfused with Tyrod solution. In six different preparation, the cell membrane potential was -86.2 ± 4.5 mV, cytosolic sodium ion activity was 16.5 ± 1.7 mM in control condition. When the muscle was in condition of low [Na^+]o (20mM), cell membrane potential changed from control -80.4 ± 3.2 mV to -83.4 ± 7.5 mV, cytosolic sodium ion activity decreased from 16.5 ± 2.0 mM to 11.9 ± 3.0 mM (n=3, p < 0.05); when the muscle was in circumfusion of high [k^+]o (62 mM), cell membrane potential depolarized from control -91.9 ± 3.0 mV to -59.0 ± 5.2 mV, cytosolic sodium ion activity decreased from 16.4 ± 1.4 mM to 10.9 ± 0.6 mM (n=3, p < 0.05). These results reveal that intracellular sodium ion activity parallels with decrement of the electrochemical gradient of soddium across the cell membrane.
The purpose of this study was to measure intracellular sodium ion activities in skeletal muscle and to explore the relationship between cell membrane potntial and sodium ion activity. A piece of diaphragmatic muscle was fixed on the floor of perftusion chamber and circumfused with Tyrod solution. In six different preparation, the cell membrane potential was -86.2 ± 4.5 mV, cytosolic sodium ion activity was 16.5 ± 1.7 mM in control condition. When the muscle was in condition of low [Na^+]o (20mM), cell membrane potential changed from control -80.4 ± 3.2 mV to -83.4 ± 7.5 mV, cytosolic sodium ion activity decreased from 16.5 ± 2.0 mM to 11.9 ± 3.0 mM (n=3, p < 0.05); when the muscle was in circumfusion of high [k^+]o (62 mM), cell membrane potential depolarized from control -91.9 ± 3.0 mV to -59.0 ± 5.2 mV, cytosolic sodium ion activity decreased from 16.4 ± 1.4 mM to 10.9 ± 0.6 mM (n=3, p < 0.05). These results reveal that intracellular sodium ion activity parallels with decrement of the electrochemical gradient of soddium across the cell membrane.