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Potassium gluconate API Manufacturers & Suppliers

General Description:

Potassium gluconate, identified by CAS number 299-27-4, is a notable compound with significant therapeutic applications. Potassium gluconate is a salt of and is classified as a food additive by the FDA . It is also used as a potassium supplement . Potassium is an essential nutrient. It is the most abundant cation in the intracellular fluid, where it plays a key role in maintaining cell function . In dietary supplements, potassium is often present as potassium chloride, but many other forms—including potassium citrate, phosphate, aspartate, bicarbonate, and gluconate—are also used . Potassium gluconate is believed to be more palatable and non-acidifying than potassium chloride (KCl) .

Indications:

This drug is primarily indicated for: Because of potassium’s wide-ranging roles in the body, low intakes can increase the risk of illness . Potassium supplements are indicated to prevent hypokalemia in patients who would be at particular risk if hypokalemia were to develop (e.g, digitalis treated patients with significant cardiac arrhythmias). Potassium deficiency occurs when the rate of loss through renal excretion and/or loss from the gastrointestinal tract is higher than the rate of potassium intake. In addition to serving as a preventative supplement, potassium gluconate also serves as a treatment for decreased potassium levels , , . Its use in specific medical scenarios underscores its importance in the therapeutic landscape.

Absorption:

The absorption characteristics of Potassium gluconate are crucial for its therapeutic efficacy: Potassium is rapidly and well absorbed. A 2016 dose-response trial found that humans absorb about 94% of potassium gluconate in supplements, and this absorption rate is similar to that of potassium from potatoes . The drug's ability to rapidly penetrate into cells ensures quick onset of action.

Route of Elimination:

The elimination of Potassium gluconate from the body primarily occurs through: 90% of potassium is eliminated via the kidneys. A small amount is eliminated in feces and sweat . Understanding this pathway is essential for assessing potential drug accumulation and toxicity risks.

Volume of Distribution:

Potassium gluconate is distributed throughout the body with a volume of distribution of: Distribution is largely intracellular, but it is the intravascular concentration that is primarily responsible for toxicity . This metric indicates how extensively the drug permeates into body tissues.

Clearance:

The clearance rate of Potassium gluconate is a critical factor in determining its safe and effective dosage: Potassium is freely filtered by the glomerulus in the kidney. The majority of filtered potassium is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule and loop of Henle. Less than 10% of the filtered load reaches the distal nephron. In the proximal tubule of the nephron, potassium absorption is mainly passive and proportional to Na+ and water. K+ reabsorption in the thick ascending limb of Henle occurs through both transcellular and paracellular pathways. The transcellular component is regulated by potassium transport on the apical membrane Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransporter. The secretion of potassium begins in the early distal convoluted tubule of the nephron and progressively increases along the distal nephron into the cortical collecting duct. Most urinary K+ can be accounted for by electrogenic K+ secretion mediated by principal cells in the initial collecting duct and the cortical collecting duct. An electroneutral K+ and Cl− cotransport mechanism is also present on the apical surface of the distal nephron. Under conditions of potassium deficiency, reabsorption of the cation occurs in the collecting duct. This process is regulated by the upregulation in the apically located H+-K+-ATPase on α-intercalated cells . It reflects the efficiency with which the drug is removed from the systemic circulation.

Pharmacodynamics:

Potassium gluconate exerts its therapeutic effects through: Potassium is an essential nutrient. It is the most abundant cation in intracellular fluid, where it plays a key role in maintaining cell function, especially in excitable cells such as skeletal muscles, the heart, and nerves . Increases in interstitial potassium play an important role in eliciting rapid vasodilation, allowing for blood flow to increase in exercising muscle . The drug's ability to modulate various physiological processes underscores its efficacy in treating specific conditions.

Mechanism of Action:

Potassium gluconate functions by: Potassium is the most abundant cation (approximately 150 to 160 mEq per liter) within human cells. Intracellular sodium content is relatively low. In the extracellular fluid, sodium predominates and the potassium content is low (3.5 to 5 mEq per liter). A membrane-bound enzyme, sodium-potassium–activated adenosinetriphosphatase (Na +K +ATPase), actively transports or pumps sodium out and potassium into cells to maintain the concentration gradients. The intracellular to extracellular potassium gradients are necessary for nerve impulse signaling in such specialized tissues as the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle, and for the maintenance of physiologic renal function and maintenance of acid-base balance. High intracellular potassium concentrations are necessary for numerous cellular metabolic processes . Intracellular K+ serves as a reservoir to limit the fall in extracellular potassium concentrations occurring under pathologic conditions with loss of potassium from the body . This mechanism highlights the drug's role in inhibiting or promoting specific biological pathways, contributing to its therapeutic effects.

Toxicity:

Classification:

Potassium gluconate belongs to the class of organic compounds known as sugar acids and derivatives. These are compounds containing a saccharide unit which bears a carboxylic acid group, classified under the direct parent group Sugar acids and derivatives. This compound is a part of the Organic compounds, falling under the Organic oxygen compounds superclass, and categorized within the Organooxygen compounds class, specifically within the Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates subclass.

Categories:

Potassium gluconate is categorized under the following therapeutic classes: Alimentary Tract and Metabolism, Mineral Supplements, Potassium Salt. These classifications highlight the drug's diverse therapeutic applications and its importance in treating various conditions.

Experimental Properties:

Further physical and chemical characteristics of Potassium gluconate include:

• Melting Point: 180