KINETIC-STUDY OF THE SHAPE CHANGE OF HUMAN ERYTHROCYTE INDUCED BY SODIUM ALKYL SULFATES

In order to clarify the mechanism of the shape change of human erythro cytes induced by anionic surfactants, kinetic experiments were perform ed using the stopped-flow technique and the conventional spectroscopic method. In the time range from 0.1 s to a few dozen minutes, four kin etic processes were observed. In the dead time of the stopped-how appa ratus (within 10 milli seconds), a decrease in the intensity of the tr ansmitting light was observed. Based on an analysis of the dependence of the relaxation time of each process on the surfactant concentration for various reaction schemes, we propose a most plausible reaction mo del that includes four kinds of binding processes of the surfactant an d three intramolecular processes. In the present paper, based on this model, we discuss the detailed mechanism of the shape change of the er ythrocytes.