Premium
THE EFFECTS OF ANIMAL AGE ON THE SWELLING OF RAT LIVER SLICES IN VITRO
Author(s) -
Parsons D. S.,
van Rossum G. D. V.
Publication year - 1962
Publication title -
quarterly journal of experimental physiology and cognate medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0033-5541
DOI - 10.1113/expphysiol.1962.sp001573
Subject(s) - swelling , incubation , isotonic saline , in vitro , chemistry , liver tissue , isotonic , saline , electrolyte , medicine , stimulation , endocrinology , incubation period , tissue distribution , biophysics , biochemistry , biology , pathology , electrode
An account is given of the increase in water content (swelling) of liver slices prepared from rats of differing ages (new‐born to 113 days) and incubated under metabolically unfavourable conditions in a simple “isotonic” saline medium. Liver slices from young rats swelled more than slices from adult rats and slices from 1‐day‐old rats swelled more than those from either new‐born or 5‐day‐old animals. The swelling was accompanied by a redistribution of electrolytes between the tissue and medium which was qualitatively similar at all the ages studied and involved a net entry of Na and Cl ions into and a net loss of K ions from the tissue. After 120 min. incubation, the distribution of Na and Cl between the medium and the tissue water of liver slices from rats of all ages was in accord with the requirements of a Gibbs‐Donnan equilibrium. The findings are discussed in relation to earlier work and it is suggested that the decrease in extent of swelling during growth may be associated with changes in the properties of the tissue non‐diffusible anions during this period.