Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
08:07
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate: A Physics-Driven Characterization in a Medical Context
Published on: March 24, 2023
THE ELECTRIC IMPEDANCE OF HEMOLYZED SUSPENSIONS OF MAMMALIAN ERYTHROCYTES
1Walter B. James Laboratory for Biophysics, The Biological Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island.
The Journal of General Physiology
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Red blood cell membranes undergo injury, not just rupture, during hemolysis, altering electric properties. Different lysis methods, like water or chemical lysins, cause distinct membrane changes and stromatolysis.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Hematology
Background:
- Mammalian red blood cells possess a unique membrane crucial for their function.
- Hemolysis, the rupture of red blood cells, can occur through various mechanisms.
- Understanding membrane changes during hemolysis is vital for cell biology and disease research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in electric surface capacity and resistivity of red blood cell membranes during different types of hemolysis.
- To differentiate the mechanisms of membrane injury caused by water, chemical lysins, and freezing/thawing.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of electric surface capacity and resistivity of red blood cell membranes.
- Induction of hemolysis using water, chemical lysins (saponin, digitonin, etc.), and freezing/thawing.
- Analysis of frequency dependence of membrane properties to assess injury.
Main Results:
- Water hemolysis causes membrane injury with altered frequency dependence, indicating increased permeability, not just rupture.
- Chemical lysins induce dose-dependent membrane injury and stromatolysis (complete membrane permeability).
- Freezing and thawing appears to be a distinct lysis mechanism compared to others studied.
Conclusions:
- Red blood cell membrane injury during hemolysis involves changes in membrane properties, such as permeability, beyond simple rupture.
- The study provides a quantitative method for assessing percentage stromatolysis.
- Distinct mechanisms underlie different types of red blood cell lysis.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Electrical Transport
The electrical transport property of a material is defined by its resistance and conductivity. Resistance is the measure of a material's ability to resist the flow of electric current, while conductivity gauges its ability to allow the current to pass through, depending on the geometry of the measurement cell, such as electrode spacing and area. Conductivity is measured in Siemens (S). There are different types of conductance, including specific conductance, equivalent conductance, and molar...
01:28Debye–Huckel–Onsager Conductance Equation
The Debye-Hückel-Onsager equation is a cornerstone of physical chemistry, providing a method to determine the molar conductance (Λm) and molar conductance at infinite dilution (Λ°m) for uni-univalent electrolytes.Uni-univalent electrolytes are electrolytes that dissociate in solution to produce one cation with a +1 charge and one anion with a –1 charge per formula unit.This equation addresses two crucial phenomena: the asymmetry effect and the electrophoretic effect. According to this equation,...