THE EXCHANGE OF RADIOACTIVE POTASSIUM WITH BODY POTASSIUM

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Radioactive K in the form of KC1 was injected into rabbits, cats and frogs. The animals were killed at various intervals thereafter, and samples of the tissues were analyzed for total K and radioactive K. The visceral organs take up the K more rapidly than skin, muscle, testis, brain and erythrocytes. During the 1st few hrs. after inj. the ratio of K42 to K39 in the liver and other viscera is usually higher than in the plasma. Simple exchange of K42 for K39 by diffusion is not an adequate explanation; an excess of K in the plasma is probably quickly removed by the viscera together with an anion and is slowly released to the muscles. In human subjects drinking solns. of radioactive KC1, detns. were made of the ratio of radioactivity to K in the urine. Calculation from these figures of the total exchangeable K of the body shows that man like the rabbit exchanges his body K less rapidly than the rat (50-60% exchange in 12 hrs.). In all animals studied practically all the K of the body exchanges with the injected radioactive material in the course of a few days. Reasons are suggested for the partial exchange reported by other authors.

This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit: