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SOME EFFECTS OF A RESTRICTED POTASSIUM INTAKE ON ADAPTATION TO SALINE DRINKING
Author(s) -
Marwood J,
Lockett Mary F
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
australian journal of experimental biology and medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0004-945X
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1973.48
Subject(s) - saline , potassium , sodium , chemistry , zoology , metabolic alkalosis , medicine , endocrinology , saline water , salinity , biology , organic chemistry , ecology
Summary Rats were transferred from water to 0·75% NaCl as sole drinking fluid, Initial weight gains reversed abruptly as the rate of elimination of sodium from a standard saline load increased abruptly. Thereafter, spontaneous saline intake and the rate of sodium elimination rose in parallel to sustained maxima which were reached in six to seven weeks by saline‐drinking rats. Both treatment with deoxcorticosterone acetate and potassium restriction accelerated attainment of these maxima by two weeks but did not alter their magnitude. In contrast, a metabolic alkalosis induced by administration of 2 Meq. sodium citrate twice daily did not influence the rate of onset of the escape phenomenon. It is considered that change in the rate of elimination of sodium from an acute oral saline load (0·7% NaCl), equivalent to 2·5% body weight, may prove a useful parameter for assessment of the degree of adaptation to saline‐drinking. Further, deoxcorticosterone acetate‐induced acceleration of adaptation to saline‐drinking may be a consequence of the K‐depletion but is unlikely to be greatly influenced by the alkalosis caused by this steroid.