Studies on osmotic fragility of red blood cells determined with a coil planet centrifuge for workers occupationally exposed to lead

Abstract

In order to clarify the relationship between lead exposure level and osmotic fragility of red blood cells determined by the coil planet centrifuge method, several clinical laboratory examinations were performed on 27 male workers employed in a scrap lead refining factory using as controls 40 male workers employed in railway construction. The examinations included measurement of red blood cell and reticulocyte counts, hematocrit, MCV, blood and urine lead concentrations, urine coproporphyrin, and urine delta-aminolevulinic acid. The results were: 1. Osmotic fragility of red blood cells was lower in lead workers at all three hemolytic points compared with the controls. Significant difference was observed in hemolysis of the maximum point (P less than 0.05). 2. The red blood cell and reticulocyte counts, hematocrit value and MCV of the lead workers were not significantly different from those of the controls. Values for blood and urine lead, coproporphyrin, and delta-aminolevulinic acid of the lead workers were much higher than those of the controls (P less than 0.01). 3. In lead workers, close relationships between the osmotic fragility and these laboratory findings were observed: blood lead, r = -0.572, P less than 0.01; coproporphyrin, r = -0.608, P less than 0.01; delta-aminolevulinic acid, r = -0.559, P less than 0.01; urine lead, r = -0.453, P less than 0.05.

Electrolytes Changes in Male Rats Deprived of Feed and Water

“…The increased concentration of electrolytes in the plasma and subsequent reduction in the erythrocytes is an indication that feed and water deprivation induced stress causes efflux of these electrolytes into the plasma but inhibiting the influx into the intracellular erythrocytes. Alterations in chemical and physical characteristics of erythrocytes membranes have been reported (Valentino et al, 1982;Karai et al, 1981;Quintanar-Escorza et al, 2007). The attendant consequences of these alterations include decreased fluidity and increased osmotic fragility of the cell erythrocyte membrane (Valentino et al, 1982;Karai et al, 1981;Quintanar-Escorza et al, 2007).…”

“…Alterations in chemical and physical characteristics of erythrocytes membranes have been reported (Valentino et al, 1982;Karai et al, 1981;Quintanar-Escorza et al, 2007). The attendant consequences of these alterations include decreased fluidity and increased osmotic fragility of the cell erythrocyte membrane (Valentino et al, 1982;Karai et al, 1981;Quintanar-Escorza et al, 2007). The consequences of these is imbalance in the electrolyte distribution due to stress caused by feed and water deprivation.…”

Effect of lead in vitro on water metabolism and osmotic fragility of human erythrocytes.

“…Water content was measured by Kageyama's Results Figure 1 shows the haemolysis of normal human blood samples in the coiled tube determined by CPC after treatment with lead at 37°C for two hours: fig 2 shows the change of three points of haemolysis. The osmotic fragility at all three points of haemolysis decreased with 50 nM/ml of lead; it was greatly decreased with 500 nM/ml of lead.…”

Hemorheological changes caused by lead exposure

“…Lead also decreases the membrane fluidity of erythrocytes; this is caused by a change in the chemophysical conditions on the surface and core of the membrane [28]. Previous hematological studies have shown that the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes was significantly lower in workers exposed to lead than in normal controls [12]; this suggested that the decreased osmotic fragility and membrane fluidity might be highly correlated with the degradation of hemorheological characteristics due to the interaction of lead with erythrocyte membrane proteins and lipids. Thus, erhthrocytes could be considered as an biological sensor circulating whole body system [15].…”