While gardening you accidentally consume Foxglove flowers that contain digitalis

Question

While gardening you accidentally consume Foxglove flowers that contain digitalis, a chemical that blocks the action of the sodium-potassium ATPase. What would you expect to happen following consumption of digitalis?

a) You would predict that consumption of digitalis would make the inside of the cell less negative.

b) You would predict that consumption of digitalis would have no effect on membrane potential.

c) You would predict that consumption of digitalis would make the inside of the cell more negative.

Explanation / Answer

Na/ K ATPase pumps 3 Na out and 2 K in. To this pump , another secondary active transport pump Na/ Ca exchanger is linked. Pumping of sodium outside by ATPase creates a concentration gradient due to which Sodium calcium exchanger Mediates transport of sodium inside and calcium outside the cell.

Digitalis inhibhits Na/K ATPase. Due to this intracellular concentration of both Sodium and calcium increases . Both of these are positive ions.

Therefore the answer is :

A - You would predict that consumption of digitalis will make the interior of cell less negative.

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