The erythrocyte ghost is a perfect osmometer.
The osmotic swelling of intact erythrocytes in hypotonic solutions was measured using microhematocrit tubes, Van Allen tubes, and a calibrated Coulter counter. In agreement with earlier workers the intact cells did not behave as perfect osmometers, the cells swelling less than predicted by the Boyle-van't Hoff law. Erythrocyte ghosts were prepared from fresh intact erythrocytes by one-step hemolysis in 0.25% NaCl at an extremely dilute concentration of cells and the membranes were sealed at 37 degrees . The ghosts were mixed with NaCl solutions of different osmolarities and the MCV (mean cell volume) of the shrunken cells immediately monitored by a calibrated Coulter counter. It was found that the MCV values of the shrunken ghosts were accurately predicted by the Boyle-van't Hoff law. These results indicate that these erythrocyte ghosts behaved as perfect osmometers.
D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D004912:Erythrocytes; D006400:Hematocrit; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D009995:Osmosis; D012965:Sodium Chloride
D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D012965:Sodium Chloride