Any Bio/Chem wiz's up in here?

[Vice]

What is the importance of Na+ & K+?

that's all I have to answer...

thanks

[maguilagorilla]

none!!..... to me!

[BOUNCER]

PM mandinka2 and ask him. He's a friend of mine who checks the board regular (not the ar.lounge) and he's a chemical wiz kid.

Bouncer

[KeyMastur]

Wonder if he's talking about the Na / K pump ? Here's a few notes I had from a Biology class.

protein channels
- gated – prevents material from entering / leaving cell; Na+, K
- nongated – material flows through at all times
- K+ (potassium) – moves from high to low

Na / K pump – protein, type of active transport (uses ATP)
- antiport – Na+ one way, K in another [opposite]
- 3 in / 2 out
- inside has more negative charge
- K+ leaks through nongated channels toward equilibrium until concentration gradient equals electrical charge

Resting membrane potential (RMP) – axolemma at rest, no impulse conducted
1) Na / K pump
2) Leaky K+ nongated protein channel
3) Electrical gradient = concentration gradient

All or none – either conducting or not
Threshold level = -55 mV
Depolarization – Na+ gated channels open up
- outside becomes negative, inside – positive

Repolarization – K+ gated channels open up, Na / K pump kicks on

mineral corticoids – helps to regulate mineral level in blood
- aldosterone – regulates K+ secretion & Na+ reabsorption

[jeffylyte]

Good post Key. I am late to the party as always.

What Key is saying is that K and Na (as well as Ca to some extent) pretty much control everything in the body. all cell signalling in some way derives from it. Nerves use it to potentiate (uh, charge) and transduct that charge along thier length.

Have you ever wondered why when you get cramps they tell you to eat a banana? The K, which is much more easily lost and harder to replace than Na. Becoming deficient can cause major cramping in the muscles.

They also use to kill people by intravenous injection of KCl saline solution. Knocking the balance out can cause severe problems.

This is also the root of children dying when they have diraherrea. Just giveing them water aint enough, you need something like pedialite, which is gatorade for baby's (replaces electrolytes)

This is why when I am taking EC stacks and doing lots of cardio, I usually put some low sodium salt on food. They replace sodium (Na) with potassium (K). EC has a tendencey to dehydrate, so I figure I will cover my bases

[Mandinka]

Thank you for the kind introduction Bouncer ,but I'm only a lowly chemical engineering graduate. Anyway the question seems to be covered well except to mention that this is one of the primary reasons why clenbuterol usage causes cramping - it is sucking the potassium out of the body. Many body builders make this mistake when using diuretics neglecting the importance of the Sodium/Potassium balance. Hence death is not untypical with novice usage. Sodium has been unfairly called the bane of bodybuilding dating back to a story involving Schwarzenegger where a trainee asked him how he attained his legendary size ,he replied that he ought to eat a tablespoon of salt and increase it daily. The poor guy got to the stage where he consumed sixteen tablespoons of salt a day. Not surprisingly he lost muscle (and face when he realised he had been tricked). However sodium does cause water retention.