The K+ liquid ion exchange electrode system: responses to drugs and neurotransmitters.

K+-sensitive liquid ion exchange electrode systems respond with a slow potential change to acetylcholine, choline, anticholinergic drugs, biogenic amines, and glutamic acid. The response threshold has been defined, and in most cases it is at extremely low concentrations (10(-7)-10(-5)M). The direction of the potential change varies, but in most instances it is additive to that produced by external K+. The K+ electrode system is further sensitive to decreasing pH, within a narrow and possibly physiological range of pH. These findings suggest that small measured changes in extracellular K+ are biased by the chemosensitivity of the liquid ion exchange electrode system to some compounds of physiological importance.