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Numerical simulation of Na* washout rates in whole frog skin

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Abstract

In this study we have applied a multicompartment whole frog skin model to a kinetic analysis of the process of washout of radioactive sodium (Na*) from both the epidermis and the underlying corium (dermis). This work is different from earlier publications from this laboratory in which only epidermis was considered. The whole skin model is designed in accordance with presently known anatomical and physiological information on frog skin. The chief aim of this analysis of well-known kinetic laboratory data was to present numerical computer data suggesting that the slow Na* washout component (t 1/2≅15 min) seen in laboratory studies, results from the participation of cellular (glandular) structures in the corium, not those in the epidermis. In addition, computed data on [Na+] profiles in the model membrane are briefly presented. Although the [Na+] values appear intuitively reasonable, they await experimental confirmation, which requires an analytical technique with a resolution power far superior over that of conventional histochemical methods. The [Na+] gradients are, however, compatible with the known total Na+ content of skin and the overall input-output flows of Na+ across frog skin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics, and Physiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

    John R. Howell & Ernst G. Huf

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  1. John R. Howell
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  2. Ernst G. Huf
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Additional information

This study was supported by NIH Grant GM 03545-22.

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Howell, J.R., Huf, E.G. Numerical simulation of Na* washout rates in whole frog skin. Ann Biomed Eng 5, 194–207 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02364019

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02364019

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