Sodium-Potassium ATPase

Most living cells maintain a similar ionic composition in their cytoplasms, including low calcium, low sodium, high potassium, and neutral pH

When the extracellular ionic concentrations are significantly different, it requires perpetual ion pump activity to uphold the intracellular concentrations, which are important for numerous of the cell’s enzymatic functions.

Energy is stored in the ionic gradients across the plasma membrane
- Steep sodium and potassium gradients in animal cells are used to facilitate secondary transport of molecules (sugars, neurotransmitters, amino acids, metabolites) and other ions (H+, Ca2+, Cl−).

The ion gradients are also used for rapid signaling by opening of sodium or potassium selective channels in the plasma membrane in response to extracellular signals or the membrane potential.

Sodium-Potassium ATPase maintains chemical and electrical gradient between intra- and extracellular spaces, allowing the movement of several ions, most importantly Na+, K+, Cl-, and HCO3-.

This is particularly noteworthy in the intestines, where ~9 liters of water and 800 mg of Na- are processed every day.

Evidence suggests that epithelial intestinal Sodium-Potassium ATPase activity is reduced in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and colitis.

IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta are proinflammatory mediators elevated in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and known to decrease Sodium-Potassium ATPase activity.


Sodium-Hydrogen Exchangers (NHE)

The human Na+/H+-exchanger (NHE; SLC9) family comprises 13 proteins. NHEs are differentially expressed in virtually all human tissues and organs.

Task of NHE isoforms that are located in plasma membranes is cell volume control by
1. Na+-uptake and
2. cellular pH regulation by H+-extrusion.
Several NHEs, particularly NHE 1–4 and 8, are involved in the pathogenesis of diseases of the digestive system such as inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease) and gastric and colorectal tumorigenesis



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References

The Structure and Function of the Na,K-ATPase Isoforms in Health and Disease
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00371/full

Role of epithelial ion transports in inflammatory bowel disease
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/epdf/10.1152/ajpgi.00369.2015

Impaired Intestinal Sodium Transport in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: From the Passenger to the Driver's Seat
https://www.cmghjournal.org/article/S2352-345X(21)00057-6/fulltext

The Role of Ion Transporters in the Pathophysiology of Infectious Diarrhea
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6007821/pdf/main.pdf

Mechanism of the electroneutral sodium/proton antiporter PaNhaP from transition-path shooting
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09739-0.pdf

(Patho-)Physiology of Na+/H+ Exchangers (NHEs) in the Digestive System
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.01566/full