EFFECTS OF PRIMAQUINE AND OTHER RELATED COMPOUNDS ON THE RED BLOOD CELL MEMBRANE. I. NA+ AND K+ PERMEABILITY IN NORMAL HUMAN CELLS*

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Abstract
Primaquine diphosphate, when incubated in vitro with normal human erythrocytes in serum, induces a prelytic loss of K+ over a concentration range from 2 x 10-[image] to 5 x 10-3 [image]. Above 5 x 10-3 [image] hemolysis occurs. At lower concentrations, the K+ loss represents some loss by all the cells, while above 2 x 10-3 [image] primaquine, there is a position of the red cell population which develops an all or none complete permeability to K+. Low concentrations of primaquine that induce loss of K+ do not affect lactic acid production, reduced glutathione or methemoglobin content of the cells. The K+ loss is enhanced by the presence of serum and an increased pH. Acetylphenylhydrazine and methlyene blue produce a similar loss of K+ from red cells.