Bone marrow cellularity and Na and K levels in fasting and inanition after bile duct ligation

¹ Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

Femur marrow from fasted, bile duct ligated, and control rabbits was examined with supravital stains for occurrence of nucleated cells, including reticulocytes. There were marked decreases in concentration of these cellular elements in both treated groups of rabbits, although the reticulocyte population in the marrow of the bile duct ligated rabbit was considerably higher than in the fasted rabbit. Apparently there was more stimulation of erythropoiesis in the marrow of the jaundiced rabbit in spite of body wt. loss comparable to that of the fasted rabbit. Sodium and potassium analyses of marrow indicated no significant difference in fasted marrow from control marrow, the Na/K ratio being about 0.5. However, both sodium and potassium rose significantly in the bile duct ligated marrow, although the Na/K ratio was not appreciably altered. Also, there was evidence of plasma potassium increase with sodium decrease in the bile duct ligated rabbit.