Hiroshi Kogawa

The maximum and minimum water content and cell volume of human erythrocytes in vitro

The maximum and minimum water contents of human erythrocytes were measured after exposure to various osmotic pressures. Within a range of osmolarities, at which no haemolysis occurred, the water content reached its maximum, 78.1%, at 180 mosM and its minimum, 54.8%, at 800 mosM. Simultaneously, the mean cell volume increased to 98.5 microns 3 at 180 mosM and decreased to 77.2 microns 3 at 800 mosM.

Studies on in vitro effect of free fatty acids on water content and osmotic fragility of rabbit (lepus cuniculus) erythrocytes

The effects of free fatty acids in the blood on osmotic fragility and water content of erythrocytes when combined with hyperthermia were investigated. The isotonic buffer, containing the fatty acid, was added to the erythrocyte suspension to a final concentration of 200 microM/L. The samples were kept for one hour in an incubator at 37 degrees C or 42 degrees C. The osmotic fragility of erythrocytes was determined by coil planet centrifuge system and intracellular water content was measured by gas-liquid chromatography. A high concentration of unsaturated fatty acid and hyperthermia caused the increase in intracellular water and the decrease in osmotic resistance of the red blood cells compared to saturated fatty acid and the control. The present experiment demonstrated that unsaturated fatty acid was one of the principal chemical and metabolic factors which caused sports anemia.

Rapid and simple gas chromatographic measurement of lactic acid in red blood cells, plasma, and tumor cells after hyperthermia

The content of lactic acid in red blood cells, plasma, and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells were measured by a gas-liquid chromatography using a column with a terephtalic acid support coated with polyethylene glycol-6000. The lactic acid contents were directly determined in aqueous samples, because they were converted to a volatile derivative in the column. The method was rapid and simple, compared with previous methods which need time-consuming conversion of lactic acid to volatile derivatives. Our measurements showed the increase in the contents of intra- and extracellular lactic acid after hyperthermia.