spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nguyen Phu, D.
Right arrow Articles by Piiper, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nguyen Phu, D.
Right arrow Articles by Piiper, J.

Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 125, Issue 1 15-27, Copyright © 1986 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Kinetics of oxygen uptake and release by red blood cells of chicken and duck

D Nguyen Phu, K Yamaguchi, P Scheid and J Piiper

The specific conductance (G) for O2 transfer by red blood cells (RBCs) of chicken and muscovy duck was measured using the experimental (stopped-flow) and analytical techniques (RBC model) previously applied to human RBC (Yamaguchi, Nguyen Phu, Scheid & Piiper, 1985). Avian RBCs behaved similarly to human RBCs: G values were of similar magnitude; G for O2 uptake decreased with time and increasing O2 saturation; G for O2 release at high levels of dithionite decreased slightly with decreasing O2 saturation; G for O2 release was higher than G for O2 uptake. The deoxygenation kinetics of oxyhaemoglobin in solution was similar for both avian species. The G measured for O2 release at high dithionite concentration, considered to represent a good approximation to intra-erythrocyte O2 diffusion conductance, averaged (in mmol min-1 Torr-1 ml-1 RBC) 0.33 for chicken and 0.25 for duck (at 41 degrees C, pH of the suspension = 7.5, O2 saturation range 0.4-0.8). These species differences can be explained by differences in cell size, the RBC volume averaging 104 micron3 in the chicken and 155 micron3 in the duck. Compared with human RBCs, the G estimates for avian RBCs are somewhat smaller than would be predicted from size differences, which can be explained by the discoid shape of mammalian RBCs which constitutes an advantage compared with the ovoid avian RBC.




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1986