In Vivo and In Vitro Effects of Adrenergic Stimulation on Chloride/Bicarbonate Exchange in Rainbow Trout Erythrocytes
In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to determine the effect of catecholamines on erythrocytic chloride/bicarbonate exchange in the rainbow trout. A further modified boat assay is described and was used to measure bicarbonate flux through intact erythrocytes. Catecholamines had no significant effect on the bicarbonate flux in vitro. The erythrocytes were sensitive to adrenergic stimulation, however, since the agonists used caused a decrease in the pH gradient across the erythrocyte membrane. Exhaustive exercise was associated with an increase in bicarbonate flux through the intact erythrocytes. The mechanism for this increase is not clear, but it is evidently not adrenergic in origin.