Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 54, Issue 5 1335-1339, Copyright © 1983 by American Physiological Society
Effect of ethanol on ion transport and electrical properties of dog trachea in vitro
F. D. McCool, J. P. Zorn and M. G. Marin
We studied the effect of ethanol on the electrical and ion transport
properties of dog tracheal epithelium using Ussing's short-circuit
technique. There was a significant reduction of short-circuit current and
electrical potential difference and a tendency of electrical resistance to
increase in response to increasing concentrations of ethanol in the bathing
solutions. Threshold changes in the electrical properties were noted at an
ethanol concentration of 3.3 microliter/ml (260 mg/100 ml). Ethanol did not
produce these changes in electrical properties when Cl- and Na+ were
substituted in the bathing media with either choline or SO2-(4). In five
paired tissue preparations, ethanol (13.3 microliters/ml) significantly
reduced the net flux of Cl- toward the lumen from 2.68 +/- 0.62 to 1.00 +/-
0.69 (SE) mu eq X cm-2 X h-1, due primarily to a reduced unidirectional
flux of Cl- from submucosa to lumen. These observations demonstrate that
ethanol has an effect on the ion transport and electrical properties of dog
tracheal epithelium at concentrations that may be of clinical relevance.
