Effect of glutamate and glutamine on the intracellular electrolytes of nervous tissue

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Abstract
Isolated rabbit retinas incubated for up to 1 hour in a control medium resembling spinal fluid appear on histological examination to be indistinguishable from in vivo retinas. Retinas incubated with glutamate showed an increase in intracellular water and total monovalent cation compared with retinas incubated in the control medium. This effect was evident with as little as 0.5 m[image] glutamate. These changes were probably the result of an active accumulation of glutamate by the incubating cells, the glutamate being accompanied by an equivalent amount of cation and by sufficient water to maintain isotonicity. The movements of K, Na and Cl were also studied in these retinas. During incubation of retinas in 5 mM L-glutamine there was a steady increase in intracellular water and a concomitant dilution of the intracellular K, Na and Cl. These changes were probably secondary to the active accumulation of the osmotically active but uncharged glutamine molecule.

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