Sodium-potassium pump (Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase)

The sodium-potassium pump (Na⁺/K⁺‑ATPase) is a transmembrane enzyme found in the plasma membrane of nearly all animal cells. It actively transports three sodium ions out of the cell and two potassium ions into the cell against their respective concentration gradients using energy derived from ATP hydrolysis. This process is essential for maintaining cellular electrochemical gradients, regulating osmotic balance and cell volume, generating resting membrane potential critical for nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction, and providing driving force for secondary active transport systems such as glucose or amino acid uptake. The activity of this pump is vital for normal physiological function; its dysregulation or pharmacological inhibition underlies several disease states including heart failure and certain neurological conditions.

Other names

Na⁺/K⁺ pumpsodium-potassium ATPaseNa,K-ATPasesodium-potassium transporter

Inhibition of the pump increases intracellular sodium and calcium concentrations in cardiac cells, enhancing contractility