Part
01
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Part
01
Alkali Metals: Biological Effects
Alkali metals make up Group 1 of the periodic table. These metals are "lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), and francium (Fr)." Sodium and Potassium are the most abundant alkali metals, while rubidium, lithium, and cesium are rare, and francium is very rare.
Alkali metals "react with moisture to generate caustic products (hydroxides)." These products may cause skin chemical burns (due to the action of hydroxides) and skin thermal burns (due to the heat of the reaction).
Lithium Li: Neurophysiological Effects
- Lithium cations are used for "the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and different psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, schizophrenia, and mania because it acts on the regulation of neurotransmitters and mitochondrial function, attenuating the expression of genes associated with the signaling pathways of protein kinases A and C (PKA/PKC) in hyperexcitable neurons, favoring the stability of mood."
- Lithium salts, including Lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), treat manic depressive disorders, treat some types of depression, bipolar disorder, and boost the mechanism of other antidepressants.
- The mechanism of action of the first alkali metal, lithium, is still unknown. Two hypotheses explain its mechanism: Lithium stabilizes neural membranes or modifies neural second messenger systems.
Sodium Na: Regulation of Osmotic Pressure and Blood Pressure
- Sodium ions regulate neuron function, blood volume, blood pressure, and osmotic pressure. Sodium with higher-level PH prevents "kidney failure, loss of fluids, hypothyroidism, heart failure, and liver cirrhosis."
- To maintain and regulate blood and osmotic pressure, sodium works mainly on regulating muscle movements (contractions and relaxations), maintaining water balance, and transmitting nerve messages and impulses (along with potassium ions).
- Excesses of sodium in human bodies "aggravate high blood pressure." Additionally, higher concentrations of sodium cause kidney damage.
- Sodium hydroxide "can irritate the eyes, skin, and nose, but in more extreme amounts may cause chemical bronchitis."
Potassium K: Osmotic Balance
- Potassium plays a major role in maintaining the "osmotic balance between cells and interstitial fluid and in maintaining the fluid and electrolyte balance."
- However, higher concentrations of potassium in the human body lead to the formation of excessive fluid in the lungs, causing death.