A new equivalent circuit different from the Hodgkin-Huxley model, and an equation for the resting membrane potential of a cell

A new generalized equivalent circuit of a cell is proposed which is different from that of Hodgkin and Huxley. In this circuit, we use the new concept ofion-condensers to represent the equilibrium potential of ions. and power sources to represent the active transport of ions. Using this equivalent circuit, we derive a general equation to relate the resting membrane potential of a cell to the capacity of ion pumps, intracellular impermeant, ion concentrations, extracellular ion concentrations, and the permeability of ions. Using this equation, the influence of extracellular ion concentrations on the resting membrane potential was calculated and the results shed doubt on the validity of using the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz (GHK) equation for biomembranes. The proposed equation also showed that the effect of intracellular impermeant ions on the resting membrane potential in actual neurons was relatively small.