Osmotic behavior of red blood cell as seen with an ultrasonic method

Issue title: 25th Anniversary Volume. Dedicated in Memory and in Honor of George William Scott Blair. 23 July 1902 to 30 September 1987

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Dobashi, Toshiaki | Sanda, Yutaka | Akaiwa, Riko | Sakanishi, Akio

Affiliations: Department of Polymer Science, Faculty of Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376, Japan

Note: [] Accepted by: Editor E. Fukada

Abstract: We have measured the density and ultrasonic velocity (usv) of swine red blood cell (RBC) suspensions in the wide osmolarity range from 300 mOsm to 1400 mOsm in saline solution. The cellular density and compressibility of RBC at each osmolarity were obtained using the fact that the density and the compressibility are additive by volume. The osmolarity dependence of hematocrit was also measured at a constant number concentration of RBC in the range of 300 mOsm to 1700 mOsm. The cellular density and the cellular compressibility of RBC as well as the inverse of hematocrit were expressed well into one unique exponential type equation f(π)=a[1−bexp(−cπ)] with a common value for the coefficient c = 0.0025 against the osmolarity π. The results were analyzed with a simple consideration based only upon the contribution of free water inside the erythrocyte through the volume concentration ϕ of the free water in it. According to this theoretical analysis, the density and the compressibility of the free water were found to be 0.990 g/cm3 and 4.59 × 10−11 cm2/dyne which agree closely with 0.998 g/cm3 and 4.59 × 10−11 cm2/dyn of pure water at 20°C within the experimental error.

Keywords: Ultrasonic velocity, Red blood cell, Cellular compressibility, Osmotic behavior

DOI: 10.3233/BIR-1988-25312

Journal: Biorheology, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 527-537, 1988