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Book

Physiology, Sodium Potassium Pump

Yasaman Pirahanchi  1 , Rishita Jessu  2 , Narothama R. Aeddula  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Physiology, Sodium Potassium Pump

Yasaman Pirahanchi et al.
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Excerpt

The Na+ K+ pump is an electrogenic transmembrane ATPase first discovered in 1957 and situated in the outer plasma membrane of the cells on the cytosolic side. The Na+ K+ ATPase pumps 3 Na+ out of the cell and 2K+ into the cell for every single ATP consumed. The plasma membrane is a lipid bilayer arranged asymmetrically, containing cholesterol, phospholipids, glycolipids, sphingolipids, and proteins within the membrane. The Na+K+-ATPase pump helps to maintain osmotic equilibrium and membrane potential in cells.

The sodium and potassium move against the concentration gradients. The Na+ K+-ATPase pump maintains the gradient of a higher concentration of sodium extracellularly and a higher level of potassium intracellularly. The sustained concentration gradient is crucial for physiological processes in many organs. It has an ongoing role in stabilizing the cell's resting membrane potential, regulating cell volume and signal transduction. It plays a crucial role in other physiological processes, such as the maintenance of filtering waste products in the nephrons (kidneys), sperm motility, and production of the neuronal action potential. Furthermore, the physiologic consequences of inhibiting the Na+-K+ ATPase are useful and the target in many pharmacologic applications. Na,K-ATPase is a crucial scaffolding protein that can interact with signaling proteins such as protein kinase C (PKC) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K).

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Yasaman Pirahanchi declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Rishita Jessu declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Narothama Aeddula declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

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