Further evidence for a potassium-like action of lithium ions on sodium efflux in frog skeletal muscle.

1. The efflux of labelled sodium as well as net sodium and lithium changes were studied in aged high sodium sartorius muscles of the South American frog Leptodactilus ocelatus.2. In the presence of 2.5 mM potassium in the media, the replacement of external sodium with lithium or magnesium resulted in an increase in sodium efflux. The magnitude of such increase was always larger in lithium.3. With the absence of potassium in the media, the response of sodium efflux to replacement of external sodium varied with the cation used as a substitute. In lithium Ringer there was always a noticeable increase, whereas in magnesium there was always a marked reduction. The same results were observed when calcium was substituted for magnesium.4. The replacement of 60 mM external sodium with sucrose did not prevent the stimulating effect of 5 mM potassium on sodium efflux, nor the inhibitory action of 10(-4)M ouabain. This indicates that neither sucrose by itself, nor the lowering of the ionic strength, modified to an appreciable extent the function of the sodium pump.5. Net sodium extrusion took place against an electrochemical gradient in potassium-free - 50 mM sodium - mM lithium Ringer. About 75% of this efflux was ouabain sensitive.6. Muscles made both sodium and lithium rich and incubated in potassium-free - 60 mM sodium - 50 mM lithium Ringer also showed net sodium extrusion against an electrochemical gradient, which was 85% ouabain sensitive. This extrusion took place even under conditions where the changes in free energy favouring lithium entry were always lower than the changes in free energy opposing sodium going out. This indicates that a sodium-lithium exchange by a counter-transport process is unlikely.7. External potassium reduced the ouabain sensitive lithium influx in muscles incubated in lithium Ringer. The values found were 5.90 +/- 0.39 mu-mole/g.hr and 2.66 +/- 0.43 mumole/g.hr in potassium-free and 15 mM potassium respectively. At the same time potassium had no effect on the ouabain-insensitive lithium uptake.8. Muscles incubated in potassium-free-magnesium Ringer had a residual sodium efflux which could not be accounted for by passive movement. About 40% of it was abolished by 10(-4)M ouabain. This ouabain-sensitive part could be a consequence of some stimulation of the sodium pump by potassium leaking out of the cells. If this is correct it should be inhibited by external sodium and should not contribute to the total sodium efflux in potassium-free sodium media.9. Magnesium was used as the reference cation to study the sodium-stimulated sodium efflux under potassium-free conditions. The total sodium efflux amounted to 0.668 hr(-1) (rate constant) and was 71% ouabain sensitive.10. The present experiments demonstrated that lithium ions have a direct stimulating effect on sodium efflux in high sodium skeletal muscle, and strongly support the notion that this effect is produced by an activation of the sodium pump through a potassium-like action.