Effect of hemodialysis on red cell organic and inorganic phosphates

Red cell 2,3 diphosphoglyceric acid (DPG), total nucleotide phosphate, inorganic phosphate, and plasma inorganic phosphate were measured at the onset and termination of 22 hemodialyses performed for chronic renal failure in 19 patients. Plasma inorganic phosphate decreased from a mean of 2.05 mM/liter +/- 0.14 to 1.26 mM/liter +/- 0.09 (p less than 0.005) while intracellular inorganic phosphate fell from 1.76 mM/liter +/- 0.12 RBC water to 1.21+/-mM/liter (p less than 0.005). Mean DPG was 6.37 mM/liter RBC +/- 0.23 at the start of the dialysis and 6.08 mM/liter +/- 0.24 at the termination (p=n.s.). Mean nucleotide concentration was 5.90 mM phosphorous content/liter RBC+/-0.26 at the start and 5.95 mM/liter 0.21 at the end (p=n.s.). Although there were significant decreases in intracellular and plasma inorganic phosphate concentrations immediately following dialysis, neither the DPG nor nucleotide phosphate concentrations were significantly altered by this short-term procedure. Red cell water inorganic phosphorous rapidly attained identical concentration with plasma water inorganic phosphorous.