EFFECT OF LACTIC-ACID ON WATER-CONTENT AND OSMOTIC FRAGILITY OF ERYTHROCYTES IN-VIVO

Objective. A coil planet centrifuge is an apparatus for the dynamic me asurement of erythrocyte osmotic fragility, and it was applied to the observation of altered erythrocyte osmotic fragility induced by the la ctic acid, Changes in intracellular water content of red cells were al so measured according to the method, based on gas-liquid chromatograph y. Experimental design. Blood was withdrawn from the animal by cardiac puncture before and after lactic acid injection, The lactic acid was injected to rabbit through the auricular vein till the final concentra tion for the circulating blood was 0.7 mg/ml. Results. The water conte nt in the red cells before the lactic acid injection was between 71.37 % and 73.33%, It increased after the lactic acid injection and reached the maximum of 102% of the original content, Hemolysis of erythrocyte s before the injection of lactic acid began at 108.3 to 110.3 mOsm and ended at 77.0 to 81.0 mOsm, and after the injection it began at 117.0 to 120.7 mOsm and ended at 84.5 to 87.3 mOsm. Conclusions. In the pre sent experiment the decrease in pH of the blood in lactic acid adminis tered rabbits was too small to cause any changes in the osmotic fragil ity, suggesting that changes of the erythrocyte membrane properties, o wing to the presence of lactic acid in the blood had occurred.