The Effect of Hyper-and Hypotonic Solutions on Oxidations by the Red Blood Cell.

Abstract

It has previously been reported 1 that under the proper conditions of nutrient supply, the adult red blood cell has a well defined metabolism. At the same time it was shown that dialyzed solutions of hemoglobin have the power to oxidize the same substrate, sodium lactate to CO_2. While the oxidation by the red cell is of long duration and considerable, magnitude as compared with the same activity in the case of hemoglobin, one may suppose the blood pigment is associated with this oxidative activity of the cell. That this is the case is shown by the fact that loss of oxygen by the hemoglobin of the cell results in a diminished production of CO₂.

That there is a relationship between structure and oxidative activity appears to be beyond question. 2 This relationship becomes of peculiar interest in connection with the rôle of hemoglobin in oxidations by the red blood cell. If the hemoglobin of the cell is upon the cell surface, and, the assumption is correct that the blood pigments play a rôle in the oxidation by the red cell, it is conceivable that any change in the surface of the cell would produce a profound effect in the metabolism. This, of course, is dependent on the fact that the cell-solution interface is the one functioning in the process of metabolism. If this is true an increase in surface area such as would be brought about by the treatment of the cells with a hypotonic solution should cause an increase in oxidation. Conversely, the exposure of cells to a hypertonic solution should decrease the surface area with a decrease in oxidation. Suppose, on the contrary, that it is not the cell-solution interface that is active but the interfaces within the cell. In this case the hemoglobin may be conceived to be adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal matter within the cells.