Raised sodium pump activity and a circulating sodium transport inhibitor demonstrated on red blood cells of patients with untreated essential hypertension: correlation of pump activity with potassium permeability.

We have studied sodium potassium ATPase activity, the effect of endogenous plasma on sodium pump activity, potassium permeability and intracellular sodium and potassium concentrations in normotensive subjects without (n = 36) and with (n = 33) a positive family history of hypertension, and in patients with untreated essential hypertension (n = 52). Sodium pump activity was studied as ouabain sensitive uptake of rubidium 86 in washed red blood cells, incubated in an artificial medium closely resembling the anorganic constituents of plasma. Any influence of endogenous plasma on sodium pump activity was investigated by re-incubating the washed red blood cells in their own plasma and comparing ouabain sensitive rubidium uptake in the two media. To correct for any possible differences in external potassium concentration, a function for the relation between extracellular potassium concentration and absolute transport rates was derived experimentally. From this, actual transport rates in plasma were corrected by computer to an extracellular potassium concentration of 4.0 mmol/l. Sodium pump activity, concentration of circulating sodium transport inhibitor, potassium permeability and intracellular electrolytes were not statistically different in subjects with and without a positive family history of hypertension. Hypertensives had significantly raised sodium pump activity in artificial medium, but not when red cells were re-incubated in their own plasma. Thus, endogenous plasma inhibited the sodium pump by between 12% and 15%. Hypertensives also had a significantly raised potassium permeability. Potassium permeability and sodium pump activity were correlated significantly. Intracellular sodium concentrations were similar in normotensives and hypertensives, but the later showed a significantly lower intracellular potassium concentration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)