[The effect of temperature on lysis of human erythrocytes by palmitic acid]

An analysis of kinetic curves of erythrocyte hemolysis induced by palmitic acid has shown the existence of some stages of this process. The activation energy of hemolysis, as determined by the temperature dependence of the hemolysis rate constant, was 210 +/- 30 kJ/mol. It was shown by the method of stepwise thermoinactivation of erythrocytes proteins that at temperature of 49 degrees C which corresponded to the framework protein spectrin denaturation temperature, the erythrocyte membrane stability sharply decreased. On the contrary, changes of the cell shape induced by the hyperosmotic medium (0.5 M sucrose) inhibited the palmitic acid-induced erythrocytes hemolysis.