IUBio

NH4CL Lysis

kruskal at RASCAL.MED.HARVARD.EDU kruskal at RASCAL.MED.HARVARD.EDU
Tue Sep 19 12:55:49 EST 1995


In article <43a2mk$m17 at mserv1.dl.ac.uk>, A Finn <A.Finn at sheffield.ac.uk> writes:
>Hi
>Can anyone tell me how it is exactly that ammonium chloride lyses red cells?
>Thanks
>Adam Finn
>Sheffield
>UK
I may be wrong, but I THINK it works as follows:
The ammonium exists in equilibrium with ammonia (uncharged) which diffuses
across the RBC membrane.  Once inside, it is reprotonated and trapped there. 
As the ammonia diffuses in, water follows osmotically.  Because the RBC (unlike
nucleated cells) has little osmoregulatory capacity, the RBC keeps accumulating
ammonia and water until it bursts.



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