How cells take in creatine and what goes wrong in kidney disease
Regulation of intracellular creatine in erythrocytes and myoblasts: Influence of uraemia and inhibition of Na, K‐ATPase
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Sodium-dependent creatine influx is 3.3 times higher in uraemic erythrocytes, yet intracellular creatine does not increase.
Normally, increased influx would lead to higher internal concentrations. The fact that levels stay the same contradicts simple expectations of transport = accumulation.
Practical Takeaways
Understanding how creatine transport is regulated could inform better supplementation strategies in kidney disease or muscle disorders.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Sodium-dependent creatine influx is 3.3 times higher in uraemic erythrocytes, yet intracellular creatine does not increase.
Normally, increased influx would lead to higher internal concentrations. The fact that levels stay the same contradicts simple expectations of transport = accumulation.
Practical Takeaways
Understanding how creatine transport is regulated could inform better supplementation strategies in kidney disease or muscle disorders.
Publication
Journal
Cell Biochemistry and Function
Year
1994
Authors
S. Bennett, A. Bevington, J. Walls
Related Content
Claims (6)
When creatine gets into muscle cells, it brings sodium with it, which pulls water into the cells and makes them swell up a bit — like a sponge soaking up water.
In regular human red blood cells, about 40% of the creatine that gets inside does so using a special sodium-powered process, which means this system plays a big role in controlling how much creatine is inside the cells.
Even though blood cells from people with kidney disease let in more creatine, they don’t end up with more creatine inside — probably because something in their blood is blocking it from building up.
People with kidney disease have red blood cells that pull in more creatine using sodium than healthy people do, but their cells work the same when sodium isn’t involved — this suggests their bodies handle creatine differently because of the disease.
Red blood cells keep much more creatine inside them than is floating in the blood, even if blood levels change — it’s like they have a special pump that keeps the levels steady.