Abstract
Summary
0.5% highly polymerized hyaluronic acid added at a pH-range of 2 to 3.6 to 1% suspension of washed sheep, beef, horse and human erythrocytes induces a sequence of regularly demonstrable events: instantaneous jerking enlargement of the cells, explosion of the hemoglobin in hundreds of granules, consecutive changes in the erythrocyte-membranes. The hemolysis is complete at the same pH value using only acids; no hemolysis occurs in the presence of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronidase digestion of hyaluronic acid abolishes this phenomenon. The explosion of erythrocytes elicited by hyaluronic acid may give further information about the structure of the erythrocyte membrane.
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