Protection against β adrenoceptor agonist reduction of plasma potassium in severe but not in moderate hypokalemia

K-depleted and control rats were anesthetized and infused with terbutalin. In controls, plasma K concentration (pK) decreased by 0.7 mm (P = 0.01). In moderate hypokalemia terbutalin-induced decrease in pK was reduced by 0.3 mm for each 1 mm decrease in pK (n = 8, R(2) = 0.82, P = 0.002) and by 0.2 mm for each 10 mmol/g wet wt. decrease in muscle K content (n = 8, R(2) = 0.66, P = 0.01). Hence, for baseline pK of 4, 3 and 2 mm, decrease in pK was 0.7, 0.4 and 0.1 mm, respectively. In severe hypokalemia (1.7 mm), terbutain induced no further reduction in pK. The combined infusion of insulin and terbutalin showed no additive effect. Normalization of pK by KCl infusion in severe hypokalemia immediately abolished protection against terbutalin induced further pK reduction. Hence, terbutalin clamped pK at around 4 mm, whereas it continued to increase to around 5 mm without terbutalin infusion. Major new findings are: Protection against terbutalin induced further reduction in pK in severe pre-existing hypokalemia (