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

Effects of lactic acid in red blood cells on osmotic fragility and water content of erythrocytes after hyperthermia were investigated. The osmotic fragility of erythrocytes increased following one-hour incubation with the addition of lactic acid at both 37 degrees C and 42 degrees C and that also increased after heating in vitro at 42 degrees C compared with those incubated at 37 degrees C, whether the lactic acid was added or not. The water content increased with the addition of lactic acid after heating in vitro at 42 degrees C. A high concentration of lactic acid and hyperthermia seem to cause the increase of intracellular water and the decrease of osmotic resistance of the red blood cells.