Effects of hemorrhagic shock and treatment with hypothermia on the potassium content and transport of single mammalian skeletal muscle cells.

TLDR: The effect of in vivo hemorrhagic shock and its treatment with hypothermia was studied by following the temporal pattern of intracellular potassium content in single skeletal muscle fibres during in vitro incubation and the results are discussed from the standpoint of cellular metabolism and high-energy phosphate production.

Abstract: The effect of in vivo hemorrhagic shock and its treatment with hypothermia was studied by following the temporal pattern of intracellular potassium content in single skeletal muscle fibres during in vitro incubation. For the control cells isolated before the different experi mental procedures were instituted, reproducible changes in potassium content were observed during the period of incubation. The potassium content of cells isolated shortly after the taking of the biopsy was somewhat lower than of cells isolated after 10 min of incubation. After 10 to 15 min of incubation a marked loss of cellular potassium was seen, followed by a period of active reaccumulation. After hemorrhagic shock under normothermal conditions the potassium content of the cells was markedly lower and no active cellular potassium reaccumulation was obtained during prolonged incubation. Hemorrhagic shock treated with hypothermia lowered the initial pptassium content somewhat but both the periods of cellular potassium loss and active reaceumulation were seen. Hypothermia alone only slightly modified potassium transport during the first 10 to 15 min of in vitro incubation. The results are discussed from the standpoint of cellular metabolism and high-energy phosphate production with special reference to the exchange of substances between body com partments under the diffrent experimental conditions.