Effect of changes in dietary sodium on active electrolyte transport by erythrocytes at different stages of human pregnancy

1. Active electrolyte transport was examined in erythrocytes from women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and post partum, and compared with that in ovulating women.

2. There was a significant reduction in intracellular sodium ([Na]_i) and increase in intracellular potassium ([K]_i) in pregnancy with a return towards normal values in the post-partum period.

3. Maximum specific ouabain binding [number of Na⁺,K⁺-adenosine triphosphatase (Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase) units] was increased by 70% in pregnancy and returned slowly towards normal values post partum.

4. Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase activity as determined by ouabain-sensitive ⁸⁶Rb influx in artificial media was also increased in pregnancy by 13%. It returned towards normal post partum.

5. The increases in Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase in pregnancy were not closely related to the concomitant increases in aldosterone or cholesterol nor to reticulocytosis and were not affected by 7 days of high (> 250 mmol/day) or low (< 50 mmol/day) sodium intake.