Evidence of an Endogenous Digitalis-like Factor in the Plasma of Patients with Acromegaly

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Abstract
Evidence suggests that plasma-volume expansion leads to the release of a digitalis-like factor, which is thought to act on the renal tubular cells and cause natriuresis. We postulated that this factor might be present in patients with acromegaly (in whom plasma volume is elevated) and might return to normal levels when the disease was treated successfully. We measured the ability of plasma extracts from patients with acromegaly to inhibit the binding of ouabain to the sodium pump in normal red cells and to inhibit the enzymatic activity (sodium–potassium–ATPase) of the sodium pump in membrane preparations from normal kidneys.