Résumé
A comparative study of the effects of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde on the inward rectification in skeletal muscle fibre of the toad Bufo marinus was made using two different techniques. In whole sartorius muscle fibres formaldehyde produced a transient increase in conductance, followed by a decrease while glutaraldehyde only produced the second effect, with a rather fast time course. In cut end single fibres both aldehydes produced only a reduction of conductance and eventually the abolition of the inward rectification. The blocking effect of glutaraldehyde was concentration and voltage dependent while formaldehyde only produced a concentration dependent blocking. The elimination of inward rectifying currents by aldehydes allowed an estimation of the time constants of activation by a substraction method