Active Transport in Biological Membranes and Stochastic Resonances

Abstract

The role of intrinsic fluctuations of the membrane electric potential (barrier height) in the active transport of ions through cell membranes is examined. Experimental data [D.-S. Liu et al., J. Biol. Chem. 265, 7260 (1990)] on active transport of ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ in human erythrocytes under the influence of ac electric fields can be interpreted as the evidence of stochastic resonance between the external field and the fluctuations of the membrane potential. The calculations show that in the considered system one can expect also the appearance of aperiodic stochastic resonance.