Glycosides of plants and men.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J K Aronson.
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In order to study cation transport in vivo we have measured the changes in plasma and intra-erythrocytic rubidium concentrations after the oral administration of rubidium chloride. In this paper we describe our findings in 22 patients with untreated essential hypertension, compared with the findings in 22 carefully matched control subjects. Our findings in patients receiving short-term digoxin therapy and in patients with chronic renal failure are also included for comparison. Whereas the findings in patients receiving digoxin and in patients with chronic renal failure are compatible with a widespread reduction in sodium, potassium-ATPase activity in vivo, the findings in patients with untreated essential hypertension are not. Further analysis of the data and a similar study of the disposition of 42K after the intravenous administration of 42KCl suggest that in vivo net cation transport is enhanced in the erythrocytes of patients with untreated essential hypertension.
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We have studied the effects of digoxin on cation transport in vivo by measuring the changes in plasma and red cell rubidium concentrations following an oral load of rubidium chloride. In eight patients who had been taking digoxin for 7 to 10 days (mean plasma digoxin concentration 1.3 ng ml-1) the rise in plasma rubidium concentrations was enhanced and the rise in red cell rubidium concentrations was attenuated following the oral load of rubidium chloride, by comparison with the changes in well-matched controls. In contrast, the disposition of rubidium was not altered in 12 patients who had been taking digoxin for more than 3 months (mean plasma digoxin concentration 1.1 ng ml-1). These results suggest that the inhibitory effects of digoxin on cation transport are detectable in vivo during short-term therapy, but not during long-term therapy, and confirm our previous in vitro findings.
We have quantified specific [3H]-ouabain binding sites in normal human lymphocytes, and have measured the changes in the numbers of those sites which occur in response to various stimuli. We have confirmed previous findings that incubation for 72 h in the presence of fetal calf serum causes an increase in [3H]-ouabain binding, and that this does not occur if the cells are incubated in fetal calf serum which has first been dialysed. During incubation of the lymphocytes for 3 days in the presence of dialysed fetal calf serum each of the following stimuli caused an increase in specific [3H]-ouabain binding: addition of ethacrynic acid (1 mumol l-1), addition of lithium (1 mmol l-1), and reduction of the external potassium concentration (to 0.75 mmol l-1). By analogy with the similar results in HeLa cells reported by others, we suggest that the increase in [3H]-ouabain binding may, in the case of ethacrynic acid and the reduction of the external potassium concentration, be initiated by an increase in the intracellular sodium concentration. The mechanisms whereby fetal calf serum and lithium cause an increase in [3H]-ouabain binding are not clear.
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We have measured intracellular sodium concentrations and specific 3H-labelled glycoside binding characteristics in the erythrocytes and leucocytes of patients with untreated essential hypertension, and have compared the results with those in well-matched normotensive control subjects. Intracellular sodium concentrations were increased in the leucocytes, but not in the erythrocytes, of patients with untreated essential hypertension. There were no differences in the 3H-labelled glycoside binding characteristics of either the erythrocytes or the leucocytes of hypertensive and normotensive subjects. There was no difference in the ability of plasma samples from hypertensive and normotensive subjects to inhibit the binding of [3H]-ouabain to intact leucocytes from normotensive subjects. These findings are not consistent with the presence of increased concentrations of a substance which behaves like a cardiac glycoside in the circulation of patients with untreated essential hypertension.
The pharmacokinetics of L-tryptophan (5 g and 7.5 g) have been studied after its intravenous administration to healthy subjects and the results compared with those obtained after oral administration (0.7 g-3.5 g). In order to do this, we have re-analysed previously published data relating to oral administration. The data obtained following the oral administration of L-tryptophan suggest that the total body clearance and apparent volume of distribution are saturable. The pharmacokinetics of tryptophan after intravenous administration of 5 g and 7.5 g were similar to those after the oral administration of 25 and 50 mg kg-1 (i.e. 1.75 g and 3.5 g). Similar pharmacokinetic values were obtained following intravenous tryptophan when the same subjects were retested after a period of 2-4 weeks.
This method for determination of Rb+ in human plasma and erythrocytes by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry has a sensitivity of 29 nmol/L for plasma, 12 nmol/L for erythrocytes. The detection limit is 24 nmol/L for plasma, 4.8 nmol/L for erythrocytes. This assay is approximately 30-fold more sensitive than previously reported techniques involving atomic absorption spectrophotometry, enabling use of smaller samples. The rubidium signal is linear with concentration up to 1.2 mumol/L, and addition of other cations to the matrix produces only minor alterations in the Rb+ signal. We measured plasma and erythrocytic Rb+ concentrations in healthy subjects and in patients with untreated essential hypertension. In both, our values are similar to those previously reported for healthy individuals.
Various functions of erythrocytic cation transport were studied in normotensive and hypertensive pregnancy (women with pre-eclampsia and essential hypertension). The results showed that in pregnancy there is an increase in the number of erythrocytic glycoside binding sites accompanied by a proportional increase in the active inward transport of rubidium (used as a substitute for potassium). There was no evidence of an effect of pregnancy on intraerythrocytic sodium concentrations. These changes were apparently entirely attributable to pregnancy and not affected by pre-eclampsia or essential hypertension. It is suggested that these alterations indicate an adaptive increase in sodium pump numbers and activity secondary to a tendency for the intraerythrocytic sodium concentration to rise during pregnancy and compensating for that tendency.
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In order to study cation transport in vivo we have measured the changes in plasma and intra-erythrocytic rubidium concentrations following an oral load of rubidium chloride. The changes in plasma rubidium concentration are related to the distribution of rubidium to all the body tissues and the changes in intra-erythrocytic rubidium concentrations provide an example of rubidium uptake by one particular tissue. In eight healthy volunteers pretreatment with a loading dose of digoxin (20 micrograms/kg) enhanced the rise in plasma rubidium concentrations and attenuated the rise in intra-erythrocytic rubidium concentrations after the oral load of rubidium chloride. Ten patients with chronic renal failure, compared with a well-matched control group, were found to have changes similar to, but more marked than, those caused by digoxin, i.e. a much greater rise in plasma rubidium concentrations and a much smaller rise in intra-erythrocytic rubidium concentrations, after the oral load of rubidium chloride. These findings are consistent with wide-spread reduction in Na+, K+-ATPase activity in subjects who have taken a loading dose of digoxin and patients with chronic renal failure. They are, therefore, consistent with the findings of previous studies in vitro and show that it is possible to demonstrate changes in cation transport in vivo.
We have studied the specific binding of [3H]-ouabain to intact mononuclear leucocytes (82% lymphocytes) and polymorphonuclear leucocytes. In both types of cells [3H]-ouabain binding was saturable, confined to a single site of high affinity, slow to reach equilibrium, slow to reverse, temperature-dependent, competitively antagonized by potassium, and facilitated by the presence of divalent cations. The equilibrium dissociation constants were 2.4 +/- 0.7 nmol/l (polymorphs) and 2.4 +/- 0.4 nmol/l (mononuclear cells) (NS). The values of maximal specific ouabain binding, measured by Scatchard analysis of concentration vs binding curves (Bmax), were 33.9 +/- 6.0 fmol/10(6) cells (polymorphs) and 59.3 +/- 11.6 fmol/10(6) cells (mononuclear cells) (P less than 0.02). The corresponding numbers of sites per cell were 20415 +/- 3616 and 35712 +/- 6986 respectively (P less than 0.02). When the numbers of binding sites were expressed per square micron of cell surface area the difference between the two cell types was proportionately greater (83 and 186 sites per micron 2 respectively). We conclude that the [3H]-ouabain binding sites on mononuclear and polymorphonuclear leucocytes are similar in nature, but different in both number and density on the cell surface. Measurements of Bmax in mixed cell populations should therefore take account of cell type as well as cell size and number.
In order to study cation transport in vivo the changes in plasma and red cell rubidium concentrations were measured following an oral load of rubidium chloride. Eight patients receiving short-term digoxin therapy, 10 patients with chronic renal failure and 22 patients with untreated essential hypertension were studied, and the findings were compared with those in healthy control subjects matched for age, sex, race, obesity index, and plasma and red cell potassium concentrations. In patients receiving short-term digoxin therapy, and in patients with chronic renal failure, the increases in plasma rubidium concentrations after the oral load of rubidium chloride were significantly enhanced and the increases in red cell rubidium concentrations were significantly attenuated. These findings are consistent with a generalized reduction in Na+, K+-ATPase activity in vivo. In contrast, in patients with untreated essential hypertension the increases in both plasma and red cell rubidium concentrations following the oral load were significantly enhanced. These data do not support the hypothesis that essential hypertension is associated with reduced Na+, K+-ATPase activity in vivo, at least in the red cell.
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We have investigated the interaction of azapropazone with phenytoin in five healthy volunteers. From steady-state plasma phenytoin concentrations of about 17 mumol/l there was at least a two-fold increase following the introduction of azapropazone. The main mechanism of the interaction was a decrease in phenytoin clearance, attributable to competitive inhibition by azapropazone of phenytoin p-hydroxylation. Protein-binding of phenytoin in the plasma (as assessed by salivary phenytoin concentrations) was significantly reduced from 92 to 90% by azapropazone and similar changes occurred in in vitro studies of [3H]-phenytoin protein binding.