Some aspects of the osmotic lysis of erythrocytes. II. Differences in osmotic behaviour of erythrocytes after treatment with electrolyte and non-electrolyte solutions

Hypoxia-stimulated reduction of doxyl stearic acids in human red blood cells. Role of hemoglobin

Nitroxide free radicals are under active investigation for their potential use as metabolically responsive contrast agents in electron paramagnetic resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. The metabolism in human red blood cells of lipid-soluble nitroxides, doxyl stearic acids (DSA), has been investigated. We observed that under normoxia DSA were stable in red blood cells for at least 2 h, but hypoxia stimulated spin label reduction. Complete signal recovery after air or ferricyanide oxidation suggested the formation of hydroxylamine during hypoxia. DSA reduction was found to be dependent upon the position of the nitroxide ring in the fatty acid chain with the reduction rate higher when the -NO degree of the doxyl ring was closer to the fatty acid carboxylic end. The reduction kinetics of DSA with the doxyl ring nearest to the carboxylic end (5DSA) was bifasic. A rapid reduction of about half of the 5DSA was observed in the first hour and, thereafter, a slow reduction process become predominant. The slope of the slow reduction abruptly decreased below 5 microM, thus suggesting a concentration-dependent membrane-cytoplasm translocation of 5DSA. The reducing activity of the red blood cell (RBC) was completely recovered in the cell lysate. Under hypoxia, purified hemoglobin and myoglobin reduced 5DSA and a complete recovery of the signal was obtained after air reoxidation. Globin did not reduce 5DSA, while methemoglobin showed only a small reduction of 5DSA, thus suggesting that ferrous-heme was involved in the hypoxic reduction of DSA. both DSA localization and the characteristics of intracellular reductant (hemoglobin) are responsible for the high stability of DSA in the RBC.

Role of membrane thermotropic properties on hypotonic hemolysis and hypertonic cryohemolysis of human red blood cells

The hypothesis of a correlation between the effects of temperature on red blood cells hypotonic hemolysis and hypertonic cryohemolysis and two thermotropic structural transitions evidenced by EPR studies has been tested. Hypertonic cryohemolysis of red blood cells shows critical temperatures at 7 degrees C and 19 degrees C. In hypotonic solution, the osmotic resistance increases near 10 degrees C and levels off above 20 degrees C. EPR studies of red blood cell membrane of a 16-dinyloxyl stearic acid spin label show, in the 0-50 degrees C range, the presence of three thermotropic transitions at 8, 20, and 40 degrees C. Treatments of red blood cells with acidic or alkaline pH, glutaraldehyde, and chlorpromazine abolish hypertonic cryohemolysis and reduce the effect of temperature on hypotonic hemolysis. 16-Dinyloxyl stearic acid spectra of red blood cells treated with glutaraldehyde and chlorpromazine show the disappearance of the 8 degrees C transition. Both the 8 degrees C and the 20 degrees C transitions were abolished by acidic pH treatment. The correlation between the temperature dependence of red blood cell lysis and thermotropic breaks might be indicative of the presence of structural transitions producing areas of mismatching between differently ordered membrane components where the osmotic resistance is decreased.

Trypanosoma brucei: a quick method for separating blood-stream trypomastigotes from infected blood by differential osmotic lysis

1. The degree of rat erythrocyte lysis and immobilization of Trypanosoma brucei in infected blood by buffered hypotonic solutions of sodium chloride and sources was studied. 2. At 0.3% sodium chloride solution 98% hemolysis of erythrocytes was achieved while 95% of the original bloodstream trypomastigotes survived and were found to be motile and viable for biochemical study. 3. Further increase in the concentration of sodium chloride above 0.3% revealed an increase in the immobilization of trypanosomes and a decrease in the erythrocyte hemolysis. 4. Bloodstream trypomastigotes have been prepared by differential osmotic lysis of infected blood in 0.3% sodium chloride solution and used for studying their metabolism.

Effect of ammonium chloride on osmotic behavior of red cells in nonelectrolytes

Ammonium chloride, demonstrated to be a permeating electrolyte for human red cells in water or sodium chloride solutions, has been shown to act as if it contributes osmotic support in the presence of sucrose. The additional protection provided by ammonium chloride against hemolysis in hypotonic sucrose was found to approximate the milliosmolar concentration of the added salt. In view of previous suggestions that potassium loss was responsible for the increased protection observed with hypotonic nonelectrolyte alone, it was considered reasonable that the further protection afforded by ammonium chloride might reflect a comparable mechanism. Such a relationship was not observed. When added to isosmotic sucrose, ammonium chloride was found to be as effective as sodium chloride in preventing rather than augmenting potassium loss, in accord with the observations of others. Under hypotonic conditions, however, the addition of ammonium chloride had no effect on potassium loss beyond that observed in hypotonic sucrose alone. Equivalent additions of sodium chloride eliminated the potassium loss entirely. It was concluded that sucrose, and possibly other nonelectrolytes, acted to modify the red cell's permeability to ammonium chloride. It is this conversion of ammonium chloride to an impermeant molecule that is considered to be responsible for the observed osmotic support as well as for the markedly disparate findings in sodium chloride solutions.

Effects of growth conditions on the ion composition of Bifidobacterium bifidum subsp. pennsylvanicum

The cation content of Bifidobacterium bifidum subsp. pennsylvanicum was markedly influenced by the washing procedure of the cells, by the growth phase and the temperature, and by the composition of the culture medium. Optimal retention of cations was achieved by washing with 0.25 M MgCl2 at 20C. The intracellular Na+ concentration rose during growth in normal medium to a constant value in the stationary phase, the K+ concentration rose in the exponential phase, but fell in the stationary phase. Cells from 29-C cultures contained more Na+ and less K+ in the stationary phase than did cells from 37-C cultures, but the total cation content was the same at 29 and 37C. Intracellular Na+ and K+ concentrations were dependent on the concentrations in the medium and on its osmolarity. The intracellular Na+/K+ ratio varied from 0.04 to 2.3. The concentrations of Na+,K+ and phosphate in the medium hardly affected growth. Mg2+-deficiency of the medium markedly decreased the concentration of Mg2+ within the cell; its concentration in the cell sap was greatly affected, but the amount of sedimentable, bound Mg2+ only slightly. The content of K+ within the cell decreased in Mg2+-deficient medium, but the concentration of Na+ did not. Omission of Tween 80 as well as its substitution by Tween 20 caused a decrease of intracellular K+. Cells from Tween 40 and Tween 60 cultures additionally contained markedly less Na+.

Slow phase hemolysis in hypotonic electrolyte solutions

When a population of erythrocytes is partially hemolyzed the time course of hemolysis can be divided into a fast phase and a slow phase. The slow phase occurs with both rapid and gradual addition of the hypotonic medium (rapid and gradual hemolysis). There is no difference in the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes remaining at 60 minutes after rapid or gradual hemolysis. Erythrocytes near their critical hemolytic volume have an equimolar ouabaininsensitive sodium-potassium exchange. Critical non-hemolytic swelling with resulting stress on the membrane appears requisite to slow phase hemolysis since more non-penetrant sucrose is required to prevent slow phase lysis rather than that which would be predicted from the intracellular colloid osmotic pressure due to hemoglobin. Sucrose protection from slow phase hemolysis thus depends not only on counter-balancing the colloid osmotic pressure, but also removal of sufficient intracellular water to prevent critical membrane strain. This model is consistent with that proposed by Katchalsky. Irreversible membrane changes associated with hypotonic stress manifested by persistent stomatocytic shape change and membrane wrinkling on return of cells to isotonicity appear to be due to critical changes in membrane components. Such cells, having normal indices and specific gravity are less deformable than control cells in 2.8 mum pore size polycarbonate filters.