Abstract
Summary
There is in the urinary bladder of Bufo marinus an ether soluble compound which binds sodium (ESC-Na). The theory that this compound is in some manner involved in the transport of sodium across the wall of the bladder is supported by the following observations: 1. The content of ESC-Na in the bladder wall is 9.35 μeq/g; while that of serosal tissue, which does not transport Na, is 0.33 μeq/g. 2. The quantity of ESC-Na is reduced by placing a sodium-free solution at either the serosal or mucosal surface. The significance of these findings is discussed.
3. There is a similarity between the effect of increasing the sodium concentration of the mucosal fluid on reduction of ESC-Na concentrations and on rate of sodium transport.
4. The possibility that ESC-Na did not exist as such in the body has been considered. Instead it might be formed after death of the bladder and/or during the extraction process. Data are presented which make this latter possibility unlikely. 5. It is concluded that the data presented support the hypothesis that ESC-Na is a substance which plays a part in the sodium transport process.
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