The Mutual Independence of the Endolymphatic Potential and the Concentrations of Sodium and Potassium in Endolymph

Saul W. Brusilow; Ellen Gordes

doi:10.1172/JCI107442

¹Department of Pediatrics of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205

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¹Department of Pediatrics of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205

Find articles by Gordes, E. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published in Volume 52, Issue 10 on October 1, 1973
J Clin Invest. 1973;52(10):2517–2521. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI107442.
© 1973 The American Society for Clinical Investigation

Published October 1, 1973 - Version history

The relationship between the endolymphatic potential (EP) and the sodium and potassium concentration gradients between endolymph and interstitial fluid was studied both by measuring the EP at varying concentrations of sodium and potassium in endolymph and by measuring the effect of a depressed EP on the concentrations of these cations. Ethacrynic acid was used in dogs to change the concentration of sodium and potassium (meq/liter) in endolymph from 5.8 and 148 to 134 and 24.3, respectively. No change in the EP accompanied these alterations. In a second series of experiments the EP was reduced from + 72 mV to + 31 mV for a mean duration of 20 min. No change in the concentration of sodium and potassium in endolymph was found during the period of reduced EP. These data suggest that there is little relationship between the EP and the sodium and potassium concentrations in endolymph.