Influence of oxygen and glucose on the water and ion content of swine aorta

The swelling properties of isolated swine arterial tissue have been studied to determine their effect on diffusion and hydraulic permeability measurements. Tissue potassium and sodium content were also measured to obtain an index of tissue metabolic activity. When oxygen and glucose were present in the incubation medium, a 5% decrease in tissue water content was observed over an incubation period of approximately 3.5 h. Under these conditions the tissue potassium content was higher and the sodium content was lower than when oxygen and/or glucose were omitted from the medium. When both oxygen and glucose were omitted, the potassium and sodium levels were significantly altered, suggesting a disturbance in the sodium-potassium transport system due to depletion of necessary metabolities.