Further studies on the partial double Donnan. Is isosmotic KCl solution isotonic with cells of respiratory trees of the holothurian Isostichopus badionotus Selenka?

As potassium, chloride and water traverse cell membranes, the cells of stenohaline marine invertebrates should swell if exposed to sea water mixed with an isosmotic KCl solution as they do when exposed to sea water diluted with water. To test this hypothesis respiratory tree fragments of the holothurian Isostichopus badionotus were exposed to five isosmotic media prepared by mixing artificial sodium sea water with isosmotic (611 mmol/l) KCl solution to obtain 100, 83, 71, 60 and 50% sea water, with and without 2 mmol/l ouabain. For comparison, respiratory tree fragments were incubated in sea water diluted to the same concentrations with distilled water, with and without ouabain. Cell water contents and potassium and sodium concentrations were unaffected by KCl-dilution or ouabain in isosmotic KCl-sea water mixtures. In tissues exposed to H(2)O-diluted sea water, cell water increased osmometrically and potassium, sodium and chloride concentrations decreased with dilution; ouabain caused a decrease in potasium and an increase in sodium but no effect on chloride concentrations. The isotonicity of the isosmotic KCl solution cannot be adscribed to impermeability of the cell membrane to KCl as both ions easily traverse the cell membrane. Rather, operationally immobilized extracellular sodium ions, which electrostatically hold back anions and consequently water, together with the lack of a cellward electrochemical gradient for potassium, resulting from membrane depolarization caused by high external potassium concentration, would explain the isotonicity of isosmotic KCl solution. The high external potassium concentration also antagonizes the inhibitory effect of ouabain on the Na(+)/K(+) ATPase responsible for sodium and potassium active transport.