THERMOSTABILITY OF ERYTHROCYTE-MEMBRANES IN THE PRESENCE OF ETHANOL

Differential scanning microcalorimetry was used to show a destabilizin g effect of ethanol on erythrocyte membrane proteins. The thermostabil ity of the membrane cooperative unit, with the main protein being band 3 integral protein, was decreased most significantly, which was proba bly related to a disturbance in protein - lipid complementary. At suff iciently high ethanol concentrations the denaturational changes in the membrane proteins resulted in lysis of red blood cells preceeding at several stages: morphological changes in cells, as well as swelling an d the lysis, proper. The activation energy of the ethanol-induced lysi s as determined from the temperature dependence of the apparent hemoly sis rate constant was equal to 150+/-20 kJmol-1 at 5,1 M ethanol conce ntration. This corresponded to the activation energy of the protein de naturation.