IONS-INTRACELLULAR FLUID (ICF)

SUMMARY

1. 98% of total body potassium is intracellular, concentration ~150 mmol/l
2. K⁺, Na⁺, Mg⁺ are the major cations present
3. Organic phosphates are the major anions

4. When ECF K⁺ is < 3.0, intracellular K⁺ will diffuse out, but H⁺ will diffuse in, hence the intracellular net charge will remain constant

5. 66% of total body water is intracellular

Reference(s)

Barrett, K.E., Barman, S.M., Boitano, S., Brooks, H.L., Weitz, M., Brian Patrick Kearns, Ganong, W.F. and Mcgraw-Hill Education (Firm (2016). Ganong’s review of medical physiology. 25th ed. New York: Mcgraw Hill Education.
Hall, J.E. and Hall, M.E. (2020). Guyton And Hall Textbook Of Medical Physiology. 14th ed. S.L.: Elsevier - Health Science.
West, J.B. and Luks, A.M. (2021). West’s Pulmonary Pathophysiology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.