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Transmembrane potential and ionic content of rat alveolar macrophages
Author(s) -
Castranova V.,
Bowman L.,
Miles P. R.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1041010313
Subject(s) - intracellular , extracellular , chemistry , biophysics , permeability (electromagnetism) , alveolar macrophage , membrane , cytosol , extracellular fluid , pulmonary alveolus , chromatography , cell membrane , membrane potential , transmembrane protein , biochemistry , macrophage , biology , in vitro , enzyme , receptor
The cell volume, cell water, intracellular ionic concentrations, and transmembrane potential of rat alveolar macrophages were determined. The measurements were made on cells which had been separated from the medium by centrifugation through dibutyl phthalate in order to greatly reduce the trapped extracellular space. The mean cell volume of the alveolar macrophages is 1,525 cubic microns and 72% of this volume is water. The intracellular fluid is high in Na + (97 mM) and lower in K + (50 mM) and the intracellular Cl − concentration is 64 mM. The transmembrane potential, as measured from the equilibrium distribution of tritiated triphenylmethyl phosphonium and by using the fluorescent probe, Di‐S‐C 3 (5), is approximately –37 millivolts. Neither Na + , K + , nor Cl − is distributed at equilibrium. However, the K + permeability of alveolar macrophage membranes appears to be greater than Na + permeability.