The Effect of Supporting Electrolyte on Ion Permeability Through Red Blood Cell Membrane

This study was aimed at providing information on how Na sulphate, K sulphate, Ca sulphate and Mg sulphate supporting electrolytes affect the permeation of hypotonic Na chloride, K chloride, Ca chloride and Mg chloride ions through Red Blood Cell (RBC) membrane while the RBCs haemolyse using a UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The effects of the supporting electrolytes were deduced from the changes in their respective rates of permeation through RBC membranes during haemolysis. Na 2SO 4 added to NaCl and MgSO 4 to MgCl 2 resulted in a decrease in permeation rate of the resultant solutions while the addition of K 2SO 4 to KCl and the addition of CaSO 4 to CaCl 2 resulted in an increase in permeation rate. In this research there was no regular pattern of permeation and since NaSO 4 and MgSO 4 decreased NaCl and MgCl 2 permeability respectively, then the increase in the permeability of KCl and CaCl 2 may not be as a result of the increase of K + and Ca 2+ concentration in K 2SO 4+KCl solution and CaCl 2 +CaSO 4 solution respectively.