Potassium Chloride

Potassium chloride was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 10 and 20 µg/kg 20 minutes before coronary artery occlusion in a rat model of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. Serological parameters including lactate dehydrogenase, troponin I, creatine kinase-MB, malondialdehyde, and pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance were measured after the reperfusion period. The administration of 20 µg/kg of potassium chloride significantly decreased the incidence of ventricular tachycardias and fibrillations compared to the control group. Serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, troponin I, and pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance were significantly lower in the 20 µg/kg potassium chloride group compared to controls.
The study concluded that potassium chloride administration before ischemia could reduce ventricular arrhythmias and reperfusion-induced injuries through reduction of oxidative stress.

Fig. 1 The distribution of arrhythmia scores during ischemia/reperfusion using the Kruskal–Wallis test. (Madadi F.; et al. 2022)

A potassium chloride nanoparticle-loaded PLGA nanoparticle coated with cancer cell membrane was developed for cancer immunotherapy. The cancer cell membrane coating enabled homotypic targeting to cancer cells. After internalization, the nanoparticles degraded in acidic lysosomes, releasing K⁺ and Cl⁻ ions. The sudden ion release changed the osmotic pressure of cancer cells, causing a hypertonic state that led to cell rupture and death. Furthermore, the ion release stimulated cancer cells to secrete ATP and HMGB-1, while calreticulin showed increased presentation on the cell surface, inducing dendritic cell maturation and promoting immunotherapy.

Fig. 2 Preparation and characterization of potassium chloride nanoparticle-loaded PLGA nanoparticle. (Huang Z.; et al. 2023)