Haemolysis
Haemolysis which refers to the rupture of erythrocytes and the discharge of the respiratory pigment, hemoglobin and other intracellular contents into the plasma is a very significant process in the clinical pathology of blood. This process which can occur either in vivo or in vitro can have detrimental effects on the health of an individual. In vivo haemolysis which occurs inside the body can cause anemia while in vitro haemolysis which occurs outside the body can have significant but unwanted effects particularly on medical tests as it can result to inaccurate results because of the inclusion of the contents from haemolysis of red blood cells in the plasma. The process of heamolysis is sometimes attributed to the features of the red blood cells in relation to cell osmosis and permeability. It is argued that one of the reasons as to why red blood cells rupture is because of the extracellular medium (plasma) being more dilute than the intracellular cells of the red blood cells. This causes the red blood cells which are higher in concentration to draw water from the surrounding plasma causing them to swell. If they are not strong enough they could burst liberating hemoglobin into the plasma. Based on this concept, red blood cells have been identified by researchers as having several features that are convenient for them to be used in studying the osmotic and permeability relationships of cells.
Osmotic pressure, which refers to that pressure which must be exerted on a solution to prevent water from the surrounding medium from entering it through a semipermeable membrane, is very important in preventing cells from bursting and resulting to processes such as haemolysis in the case of red blood cells. This pressure is often referred to as hydrostatic pressure which means water stopping pressure.
Osmotic and permeability relations of cells depend on the concentration of the blood plasma which is the extracellular solution in which cells exist. When the plasma is isotonic (same concentration as inside the cells), the cells will neither lose nor draw water implying that they will maintain their normal shape (Gupta, Ramsay, 1977). When this solution is hypotonic, water rushes into cells causing them to swell and burst if they are not strong (haemolysis for red blood cells). When the plasma is hypertonic (more concentrated than the cells), the cells lose water and shrink (Gupta, Ramsay, 1977).
Shrinking or bursting of cells due to osmotic and permeability relations of cells can have detrimental effects on their functioning (Limbeck, Arthur, Nachbar, 1971). It is therefore important for the plasma to remain in an isotonic state and for the cells to maintain their osmotic pressure so that they can maintain their shape and function normally. Based on this, the study seeks to demonstrate the significance of osmotichydrostatic pressure in maintenance of cellular integrity using erythrocytes as model cells. In order to achieve this and comprehensively cover the topic, the study will also determine the isotonic coefficient of red blood cells. The study also seeks to establish the relationship between
1) Lipid solubility of organic molecules and permeability and
2) Molecular weight of organic molecules and permeability.
The experiment will use blood serum from fish that has diploid cells and triploid cells. According to Hyndman, Kieffer, Benfey (2003), triploid fish offer a convenient model for studying the physiological significance of cell volume. The cardiovascular system of triploid cells is critical because of the potential effects the cell volume has on erythrocyte circulation. Triploid erythrocytes are more likely to experience greater resistance than diploid cells passing across constrictive regions such as the cell membrane or the microvasculature. However, cellular compensations for example increased deformation of the membrane or reduced cytoplasmic viscosity are likely to enhance maintenance of resistance that is similar to that one of passage of diploid red blood cells for the triploid erythrocytes passage (Benfey, 1999). It is expected in this study that larger triploid erythrocytes will experience greater resistance as compared to diploid cells which will take more time to pass through the cell membrane. Diploid cells are also expected to cause more damage to the erythrocytes.
Osmotic pressure, which refers to that pressure which must be exerted on a solution to prevent water from the surrounding medium from entering it through a semipermeable membrane, is very important in preventing cells from bursting and resulting to processes such as haemolysis in the case of red blood cells. This pressure is often referred to as hydrostatic pressure which means water stopping pressure.
Osmotic and permeability relations of cells depend on the concentration of the blood plasma which is the extracellular solution in which cells exist. When the plasma is isotonic (same concentration as inside the cells), the cells will neither lose nor draw water implying that they will maintain their normal shape (Gupta, Ramsay, 1977). When this solution is hypotonic, water rushes into cells causing them to swell and burst if they are not strong (haemolysis for red blood cells). When the plasma is hypertonic (more concentrated than the cells), the cells lose water and shrink (Gupta, Ramsay, 1977).
Shrinking or bursting of cells due to osmotic and permeability relations of cells can have detrimental effects on their functioning (Limbeck, Arthur, Nachbar, 1971). It is therefore important for the plasma to remain in an isotonic state and for the cells to maintain their osmotic pressure so that they can maintain their shape and function normally. Based on this, the study seeks to demonstrate the significance of osmotichydrostatic pressure in maintenance of cellular integrity using erythrocytes as model cells. In order to achieve this and comprehensively cover the topic, the study will also determine the isotonic coefficient of red blood cells. The study also seeks to establish the relationship between
1) Lipid solubility of organic molecules and permeability and
2) Molecular weight of organic molecules and permeability.
The experiment will use blood serum from fish that has diploid cells and triploid cells. According to Hyndman, Kieffer, Benfey (2003), triploid fish offer a convenient model for studying the physiological significance of cell volume. The cardiovascular system of triploid cells is critical because of the potential effects the cell volume has on erythrocyte circulation. Triploid erythrocytes are more likely to experience greater resistance than diploid cells passing across constrictive regions such as the cell membrane or the microvasculature. However, cellular compensations for example increased deformation of the membrane or reduced cytoplasmic viscosity are likely to enhance maintenance of resistance that is similar to that one of passage of diploid red blood cells for the triploid erythrocytes passage (Benfey, 1999). It is expected in this study that larger triploid erythrocytes will experience greater resistance as compared to diploid cells which will take more time to pass through the cell membrane. Diploid cells are also expected to cause more damage to the erythrocytes.
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