Measuring osmosis and hemolysis of red blood cells

Advances in Physiology Education
Lauren K Goodhead, Frances M MacMillan

Abstract

Since the discovery of the composition and structure of the mammalian cell membrane, biologists have had a clearer understanding of how substances enter and exit the cell's interior. The selectively permeable nature of the cell membrane allows the movement of some solutes and prevents the movement of others. This has important consequences for cell volume and the integrity of the cell and, as a result, is of utmost clinical importance, for example in the administration of isotonic intravenous infusions. The concepts of osmolarity and tonicity are often confused by students as impermeant isosmotic solutes such as NaCl are also isotonic; however, isosmotic solutes such as urea are actually hypotonic due to the permeant nature of the membrane. By placing red blood cells in solutions of differing osmolarities and tonicities, this experiment demonstrates the effects of osmosis and the resultant changes in cell volume. Using hemoglobin standard solutions, where known concentrations of hemoglobin are produced, the proportion of hemolysis and the effect of this on resultant hematocrit can be estimated. No change in cell volume occurs in isotonic NaCl, and, by placing blood cells in hypotonic NaCl, incomplete hemolysis occurs. By changi...Continue Reading

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Citations

Oct 12, 2018·Advances in Physiology Education·Predrag VujovicDee U Silverthorn
Nov 26, 2020·Journal of Liposome Research·Chandra Has
Jan 16, 2021·Optics Letters·E MendicutiC García-Segundo
Mar 27, 2021·Journal of Forensic Sciences·Patrick Allan KoseckiErika Canonico
May 6, 2021·Materials Science & Engineering. C, Materials for Biological Applications·Albert Ferriol, Maria Del Carmen Morán
Aug 11, 2021·Pharmaceutics·Ilya YakavetsVladimir Zorin

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
light microscopy

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