Formation of saliva and potassium transport in the perfused cat submandibular gland.

1. In the cat submandibular gland perfused with modified Locke solutions, salivary secretion during acetylcholine (ACh) infusion and K uptake from the perfusion fluid after the ACh-induced K loss were measured.2. Strophanthin G (10(-5)M) abolished K uptake, whereas salivary secretion was unaffected.3. Ethacrynic acid (10(-4)-2 x 10(-4)M) hardly affected K uptake whereas salivary secretion was severely inhibited.4. During perfusion with Ca-free solution K uptake was unaffected, whereas salivary secretion was severely reduced.5. The presence or absence of CO(2)/HCO(3) in the perfusion fluid was of no importance for the secretory process and the K uptake. Acetazolamide (2 x 10(-4)-10(-3)M) did not inhibit these transport processes.6. It is suggested that two kinds of Na transport occur in the acinar cells of the salivary glands: a Na extrusion coupled with K uptake, responsible for the maintenance of the concentration gradients across the cell membrane; and a Na transport coupled with Cl transport into the acinar lumen, responsible for the formation of the primary secretion.