N.S., C d a
SIX FIGURES
It was shown by Delezenne and Fourneau ('14) that the hemolysis which follows the addition of snake venom to blood is produced by the action of a substance termed lysocithin or lysolecithin, formed from lecithin by a splitting off of one of its fatty acid chains by a lecithinase present in the venom. A new line of investigation initiated by Rergenhem and Fihraeus ('36) suggests that the significance of lysolecithin in blood studies may not, however, be limited to snake venom hemolysis. These workers obtained evidence that lysolecithin is normally prcsent in blood and that the amount increases on incubation. Rogaert ('37) and Singer ('41) have confirmed these results.
Relatively little attention has been given to the manner in which lysolecithin causes lysis ; and a n experimental study of the effect of various agents on hemolysis produced by lysolecithin has been undertaken with the hope that this may lead to the beginning of a n understanding of the mechanism of its action upon the erythrocyte. I n addition, parallel experiments have been carried out with saponin to ascertain the extent to which saponin hemolysis resemblcs that produced by lysolecithin. Because of the possible relationship of hemolysins, particularly lysolecithin, to the preservation of the erythrocyte during storage, attention has been given to certain factors of interest in this connection, namely, sodium citrate, sodium oxalate, glucose, and H-ion concentration.
MATERIALS A N D METHODS
Rabbit erythiocytes were used throughout. Blood by heart puncture was defibrinated and the cells were washed three times in saline or other experimental fluid. The cell suspension, after washing, was made up in a dilution equivalent to 1 : 20 whole blood ; this was further diluted five times for the actual experiments, giving a final dilution of 1: 100.
Water was redistilled from acid permanganate in a Pyrex still. All chemicals were of Merck's reagent grade, the sodium chloride being 233 'Maizels (Quart. J. Exp. Physiol., vol. 32, pp. 143-181, 1943) has also found the human erythrocyte t o be relatively impermeable to t ribasic citrate.