The activity of certain hydrolases of rat erythrocytes in experimental magnesium deficiency

In rats with induced syndrome of chronic magnesium deficiency, occurrence of haemolytic anaemia in conjuction with a shortening of the erythrocyte survival time and marked reticulocytosis among other symptoms became noticeable. In the present experiment the authors undertook to study the behaviour of the lysosomal enzymes in the erythrocytes of magnesium-deficient rats. In these animals anaemia and reticulocytosis as well as a marked increase in the percentage of the erythrocytes showing positive reactions to the acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase tests developed. It seems likely that the positive lysosomal reactions were obtained with younger blood cells which did not stain with brilliant cresyl blue but still retained single lysosomes in their cytoplasm. This assumption was confirmed by ultrastructural studies which demonstrated the presence of siderosomes inside both the reticulocytes and the mature erythrocytes. The changes in the percentages of reticulocytes and enzyme-positive erythrocytes were independent of the histological structure of the experimental rat's thymus. In the reticulocytes as well as in the mature erythrocytes, the noteworthy presence of degenerated mitochondria containing electron-dense material seems to be a morphological sign of impairment of the magnesium-deficient rat's erythrocytes.