Procaine effects on the sodium transport in frog skin.

A study on the influence of procaine on the sodium transport properties in frog skin was carried out. The application of procaine hydrochloride on either the mucosal or the serosal sides of the isolated frog skin has opposite effects. When added to the mucosal compartment, the procaine (as well as two procaine based drugs: Gerovital H3 and Aslavital) biphasically increase the short-circuit current (Isc) with a noticeable "recline" phenomenon, and decrease the slope resistance, as given by the I-V curves. When applied in the serosal compartment, Isc is decreased and the slope resistance of the epithelium is increased. The procaine effect on the apical membranes shows a pronounced dependence on the external sodium concentration. The shift of the E2 inflection point (which indicates the critical intensity of the electric field at which the epithelial conductance changes), with respect to the transepithelial open-circuit potential, shows a rapid and quasi-exponential increase following the application of 25 mM procaine in addition to the different mucosal Na concentrations.