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A K SOLOMON

Publications and source records attributed to A K SOLOMON.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Calcium and strontium in rat small intestine. Their fluxes and their effect on Na flux.

Studies have been carried out on movements of Ca and Sr ions in rat small intestine, using the in vivo preparation developed by Curran and Solomon (5). In the concentration range of 0 to 25 mM, Sr flux appears to be passive, though restricted. Ca transport may not, however, be ascribed to passive independent movement of these ions since at higher concentrations (12.5 and 25 mM) Ca return from blood to intestinal lumen increases more than expected. An apparent diffusion coefficient of Ca and Sr ions in the membrane has been calculated and the influence of negative charges within the membrane on cation diffusion has been examined in a semiquantitative manner. Both Ca and Sr ions exercise a drastic effect on active Na absorption from intestine and on concomitant passive water movement. From 0 to 1 mM, Ca and Sr ions cause a sharp increase in Na and water efflux from the lumen. This rising phase is interpreted in terms of combination of the divalent cation with the Na carrier system following Michaelis-Menten kinetics. At concentrations higher than 1 mM, the effect of Ca and Sr ions is reversed and Na and water absorption decreases slowly as Ca or Sr concentration is increased. This falling phase is ascribed to a non-specific Ca effect which produces a general "stiffening" of the membrane.

Animals↗

Determination of equivalent pore radius for human red cells by osmotic pressure measurement.

A new method has been developed to measure the equivalent pore radius in cellular membranes, and has been applied to human red cells. When red cells are suddenly introduced into a non-isosmolar concentration of non-lipid-soluble non-electrolyte molecules, water will enter or leave the cell. The rate of cell swelling or shrinking is determined and extrapolated to zero time to give the initial rate of volume change. By suitable adjustment of the concentration of the external solution the initial rate may be brought to zero. The transient equilibrium concentration, determined by interpolation from experimental data, gives a measure of Staverman's reflection coefficient, sigma. The zero time method has enabled us to determine sigma for nine permeant molecules. sigma is directly related to the equivalent pore radius; the experimental data lead to a value of 4.2 A for the equivalent pore radius in man, in good agreement with the previous figure of 3.5 A given by Paganelli and Solomon. The zero time method offers a number of advantages over previous methods for determination of this parameter. It requires no measurement of the rate of water entrance into the cell, and is essentially independent of the kinetics of cell swelling. It may be applied to a variety of living cells so that many additional membranes may now be characterized in terms of their equivalent pore radius.

Erythrocytes↗

Cat heart muscle in vitro. I. Cell volumes and intracellular concentrations in papillary muscle.

Methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of total water, inulin space, and K and Na content in muscles of 0.5 to 10 mg. wet weight. These methods have been used to define steady state conditions with respect to intracellular K concentration in papillary muscles from cat hearts perfused and contracting isometrically at 27-28 degrees C. and at 37-38 degrees C. Cell volumes and intracellular ionic concentrations have been followed as a function of the external K concentration and compared with values predicted on the basis of electroneutrality and osmotic equilibrium.

Animals↗

Intracellular potassium compartments in Nitella axillaris.

Three intracellular compartments for potassium exchange have been observed in intact cells of the giant-celled alga, Nitella axillaris. These compartments have been compared with the exchange properties of isolated subcellular structures. The smallest and fastest compartment (apparent half-time, 23 seconds) appears to involve passive absorption on the cell wall. The next largest (apparent half-time, 5 hours) may represent exchange with the cytoplasmic layer through the plasma membrane, the chloroplasts being in rapid equilibrium with the surrounding cytoplasm. The largest and slowest compartment (apparent half-time, 40 days) has been identified with the central vacuole. The vacuolar membrane and the plasma membrane have similar properties with respect to K permeability. Thus, the experimental data from the whole cell can be accounted for by a structural model of the compartments. Cyanide in concentrations up to 10(-3)M causes no net loss of K. The fastest compartment in Nitella and in higher plants is compared, and the ecological significance of the slow rate of potassium transport in Nitella is discussed.

Cell Membrane↗

The entrance of water into beef and dog red cells.

The rate constants for diffusion of THO across the red cell membrane of beef and dog, and the rate of entrance of water into the erythrocytes of these species under an osmotic pressure gradient have been measured. For water entrance into the erythrocyte by diffusion the rate constants are 0.10 +/- 0.02 msec.(-1) (beef) and 0.14 +/- 0.03 msec.(-1) (dog); the permeability coefficients for water entrance under a pressure gradient of 1 osmol./cm(3) are 0.28 See PDF for Equation These values permit the calculation of an equivalent pore radius for the erythrocyte membrane of 4.1 A for beef and 7.4 A for dog. In the beef red cell the change in THO diffusion due to osmotically produced cell volume shifts has been studied. The resistance to THO diffusion increases as the cell volume increases. At the maximum volume, (1.06 times normal), THO diffusion is decreased to 0.84 times the normal rate. This change in diffusion is attributed to swelling of the cellular membrane.

Animals↗

Entrance of water into human red cells under an osmotic pressure gradient.

A new technique to determine the rate of water passage through the membrane of the human erythrocyte under an osmotic gradient has been developed. It utilizes a rapid mixing apparatus of the Hartridge-Roughton type which permits measurements at short intervals after the reaction has begun. This is coupled with a light-scattering device of new design which permits the determination of very small changes in volume of the cells without disturbing them. With this technique it was possible to measure the change in volume of freshly drawn human erythrocytes after about 50, 100, 155, and 215 msec. of exposure to anisotonic media. The experimental curves were compared with theoretical curves derived from accepted equations for the process and a permeability coefficient of 0.23 +/- 0.03 (cm.(4)/osm., sec.) was obtained.

Aquaporins↗

The rate of exchange of tritiated water across the human red cell membrane.

The flow method of reaction rate measurement has been adapted to the determination of the rate of diffusion of water into the human red cell. In seven experiments the half-time for diffusion exchange has been found to be 4.2 +/- 1.1 msec., which is equivalent to a diffusion flow of 8.6 x 10(-9) ml. H(2)O/(sec., red cell). This figure has been compared with the rate of water entrance under an osmotic pressure gradient, and has been found to be smaller by a factor of 2.5. The difference between these two rates of water entrance has been interpreted as indicating the presence of water-filled channels in the membrane. An estimate of the equivalent radius of these channels (on the assumption of uniform right cylindrical pores) leads to a value of 3.5 A, which is viewed as an operational description of the resistance offered by the membrane to the passage of water.

Diffusion↗

Ion and water fluxes in the ileum of rats.

Studies have been carried out on the movement of salt and water across the small intestine of the rat. Segments of the ileum of anesthetized rats have been perfused in vivo with unbuffered NaCl solutions or isotonic solutions of NaCl and mannitol. Kinetic analysis of movements of Na(24) and Cl(36) has permitted determination of the efflux and influx of Na and Cl. Net water absorption has been measured using hemoglobin as a reference substance. Water was found to move freely in response to gradients of osmotic pressure. Net water flux from isotonic solutions with varying NaCl concentration was directly dependent on net solute flux. The amount of water absorbed was equivalent to the amount required to maintain the absorbed solute at isotonic concentration. These results have been interpreted as indicating that water movement is a passive process depending on gradients of water activity and on the rate of absorption of solute. The effluxes of Na and Cl are linear functions of concentration in the lumen, but both ions are actively transported by the ileum according to the criterion of Ussing (Acta Physiol. Scand., 1949, 19, 43). The electrical potential difference between the lumen and plasma has been interpreted as a diffusion potential slightly modified by the excess of active Cl flux over active Na flux. The physical properties of the epithelial membrane indicate that it is equivalent to a membrane having negatively charged uniform right circular pores of 36 A radius occupying 0.001 per cent of the surface area.

Animals↗