THE PARTICIPATION OF BONE IN TOTAL BODY SODIUM METABOLISM IN THE RAT 1

Abstract

Sixty years ago Gabriel demonstrated the pres- ence of substantial amounts of sodium in the chloride-free residue of bone which had been ex- tracted with alkaline glycol solutions (1). In 1936, Harrison, Darrow, and Yannet (2) defined "extra" bone sodium as that present in ex- cess of the amount predictable from chloride content and suggested that at least 25 per cent of the total body sodium content might be bound chemi- cally to bone salt. Subsequently, Kaltreider, Meneely, Allen, and Bale (3), Forbes and Perley (4), Stern, Cole, Bass, and Overman (5), and Edelman, James, Baden, and Moore (6) have shown that 30 to 40 per cent of bone sodium is ex- changeable with circulating radiosodium within 24 hours. These workers have confirmed the earlier impressions of Harrison, Darrow, and Yannet by finding approximately one-third of total body sodium to be in the skeleton.