A frequent problem in treating seriously ill patients is maintaining adequate fluids in one or both of the intracellular and extracellular compartments.  the relative amounts of extracellular fluid distributed between the plasma and interstitial spaces are determined mainly by the balance of hydrostatic and colloid osmotic forces across the capillary membranes.

The distribution of fluid between intracellular and extracellular compartments, in contrast, is determined mainly by the osmotic effect of the smaller solutes— especially sodium, chloride, and other electrolytes— acting across the cell membrane. The reason for this is that the cell membranes are highly permeable to water but relatively impermeable to even small ions such as sodium and chloride. Therefore, water moves across the cell membrane rapidly and the intracellular fluid remains isotonic with the extracellular fluid.

In the next section, we discuss the interrelations between intracellular and extracellular fluid volumes and the osmotic factors that can cause shifts of fluid between these two compartments.

Basic Principles of Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure

 Therefore, we review here only the most important aspects of these principles as they apply to volume regulation.

Because cell membranes are relatively impermeable to most solutes but are highly permeable to water (i.e., they are selectively permeable), whenever there is a higher concentration of solute on one side of the cell membrane, water diffuses across the membrane toward the region of higher solute concentration. Thus, if a solute such as sodium chloride is added to the extracellular fluid, water rapidly diffuses from the cells through the cell membranes into the extracellular fluid until the water concentration on both sides of the membrane becomes equal. Conversely, if a solute such as sodium chloride is removed from the extracellular fluid, water diffuses from the extracellular fluid through the cell membranes and into the cells. The rate of diffusion of water is called the rate of osmosis.

Osmolality and Osmolarity. The osmolal concentration of a solution is called osmolality when the concentration is expressed as osmoles per kilogram of water; it is called osmolarity when it is expressed as osmoles per liter of solution. In dilute solutions such as the body fluids, these two terms can be used almost synonymously because the differences are small. In most cases, it is easier to express body fluid quantities in liters of fluid rather than in kilograms of water. Therefore, most of the calculations used clinically and the calculations expressed in the next several chapters are based on osmolarities rather than osmolalities.

Calculation of the Osmolarity and Osmotic Pressure of a Solution. Using van’t Hoff’s law, one can calculate the potential osmotic pressure of a solution, assuming that the cell membrane is impermeable to the solute.

For example, the osmotic pressure of a 0.9 percent sodium chloride solution is calculated as follows: A 0.9 percent solution means that there is 0.9 gram of sodium chloride per 100 milliliters of solution, or 9 g/L. Because the molecular weight of sodium chloride is 58.5 g/mol, the molarity of the solution is 9 g/L divided by 58.5 g/mol, or about 0.154 mol/L. Because each molecule of sodium chloride is equal to 2 osmoles, the osmolarity of the solution is 0.154 × 2, or 0.308 osm/L. Therefore, the osmolar ity of this solution is 308 mOsm/L. The potential osmotic pressure of this solution would therefore be 308 mOsm/L × 19.3 mm Hg/mOsm/L, or 5944 mm Hg.

This calculation is an approximation because sodium and chloride ions do not behave entirely independently in solution because of interionic attraction between them. One can correct for these deviations from the predictions of van’t Hoff’s law by using a correction factor called the osmotic coefficient. For sodium chloride, the osmotic coefficient is about 0.93. Therefore, the actual osmolarity of a 0.9 percent sodium chloride solution is 308 × 0.93, or about 286 mOsm/L. For practical reasons, the osmotic coefficients of different solutes are sometimes neglected in determining the osmolarity and osmotic pressures of physiologic solutions.

Osmolarity of the Body Fluids. in the Table 1, note the approximate osmolarity of the various osmotically active substances in plasma, interstitial fluid, and intracellular fluid. Note that about 80 percent of the total osmolarity of the interstitial fluid and plasma is due to sodium and chloride ions, whereas for intracellular fluid, almost half the osmolarity is due to potassium ions and the remainder is divided among many other intracellular substances.

As shown in Table 25-2, the total osmolarity of each of the three compartments is about 300 mOsm/L, with the plasma being about 1 mOsm/L greater than that of the interstitial and intracellular fluids. The slight difference between plasma and interstitial fluid is caused by the osmotic effects of the plasma proteins, which maintain about 20 mm Hg greater pressure in the capillaries than in the surrounding interstitial spaces.

Corrected Osmolar Activity of the Body Fluids. At the bottom of Table 1 are shown corrected osmolar activities of plasma, interstitial fluid, and intracellular fluid. The reason for these corrections is that cations and anions exert interionic attraction, which can cause a slight decrease in the osmotic “activity” of the dissolved substance.

Table 1. Osmolar Substances in Extracellular  and Intracellular Fluids

Osmotic Equilibrium is Maintained Between Intracellular and Extracellular Fluids

Large osmotic pressures can develop across the cell membrane with relatively small changes in the concentrations of solutes in the extracellular fluid. As discussed earlier, for each milliosmole concentration gradient of an impermeant solute (one that will not permeate the cell membrane), about 19.3 mm Hg of osmotic pressure is exerted across the cell membrane. If the cell membrane is exposed to pure water and the osmolarity of intra cellular fluid is 282 mOsm/L, the potential osmotic pressure that can develop across the cell membrane is more than 5400 mm Hg. This demonstrates the large force that can move water across the cell membrane when the intracellular and extracellular fluids are not in osmotic equilibrium. As a result of these forces, relatively small changes in the concentration of impermeant solutes in the extracellular fluid can cause large changes in cell volume.

Isotonic, Hypotonic, and Hypertonic Fluids. The effects of different concentrations of impermeant solutes in the extracellular fluid on cell volume are shown in Figure 1. If a cell is placed in a solution of impermeant solutes having an osmolarity of 282 mOsm/L, the cells will not shrink or swell because the water concentration in the intracellular and extracellular fluids is equal and the solutes cannot enter or leave the cell. Such a solution is said to be isotonic because it neither shrinks nor swells the cells. Examples of isotonic solutions include a 0.9 percent solution of sodium chloride or a 5 percent glucose solution. These solutions are important in clinical medicine because they can be infused into the blood without the danger of upsetting osmotic equilibrium between the intracellular and extracellular fluids.

If a cell is placed into a hypotonic solution that has a lower concentration of impermeant solutes (< 282 mOsm/L), water will diffuse into the cell, causing it to swell; water will continue to diffuse into the cell, diluting the intracellular fluid while also concentrating the extracellular fluid until both solutions have about the same osmolarity. Solutions of sodium chloride with a concentration of less than 0.9 percent are hypotonic and cause cells to swell.

If a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution having a higher concentration of impermeant solutes, water will f low out of the cell into the extracellular fluid, concentrating the intracellular fluid and diluting the extracellular fluid. In this case, the cell will shrink until the two concentrations become equal. Sodium chloride solutions of greater than 0.9 percent are hypertonic.

Fig1. Effects of isotonic (A), hypertonic (B), and hypotonic  (C) solutions on cell volume. 

Isosmotic, Hyperosmotic, and Hypo-Osmotic Fluids. The terms isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic refer to whether solutions will cause a change in cell volume. The tonicity of solutions depends on the concentration of impermeant solutes. Some solutes, however, can permeate the cell membrane. Solutions with an osmolarity the same as the cell are called isosmotic, regardless of whether the solute can penetrate the cell membrane.

The terms hyperosmotic and hypo-osmotic refer to solutions that have a higher or lower osmolarity, respectively, compared with the normal extracellular fluid, without regard for whether the solute permeates the cell membrane. Highly permeating substances, such as urea, can cause transient shifts in fluid volume between the intracellular and extracellular fluids, but given enough time, the concentrations of these substances eventually become equal in the two compartments and have little effect on intracellular volume under steady-state conditions.

Osmotic Equilibrium Between Intracellular and Extra cellular Fluids Is Rapidly Attained. The transfer of fluid across the cell membrane occurs so rapidly that any differences in osmolarities between these two compartments are usually corrected within seconds or, at the most, minutes. This rapid movement of water across the cell membrane does not mean that complete equilibrium occurs between the intracellular and extracellular compartments throughout the whole body within the same short period. The reason for this is that fluid usually enters the body through the gut and must be transported by the blood to all tissues before complete osmotic equilibrium can occur. It usually takes about 30 minutes to achieve osmotic equilibrium everywhere in the body after drinking water.

مواضيع ذات صلة

BODY FLUID COMPARTMENTS

الأمراض الناتجة عن خلل في الجهاز المناعي

أنواع الحساسية

الحساسية Allergy

وظيفة الجسم المضاد

خصوصية الأجسام المضادة Affinity

الجسم المضاد Antibody

دور الأنسجة الليمفاوية في تكوين المناعة المكتسبة

المناعة Immunity

الهيبارين Heparin

موانع التجلط

التجلط