hypertonic hypotonic isotonic simple diagrams

Examples of these include glutamine and inositol. To create balance between the intracellular and extracellular space, over time the cells of the central nervous system respond by reducing the number of osmotically active molecules they produce inside the cell. As sodium is present in a greater concentration extracellularly than intracellularly, when sodium levels are reduced the extracellular space becomes relatively hypotonic. In chronic hyponatraemia, the level of sodium in the blood is low relative to normal. In contrast, in a hypertonic environment, water exits the red cells which causes them to shrivel. Thus, maintenance of an isotonic environment in the blood is vital for preserving healthy red blood cells.Ĭlinical Relevance – Central Pontine Myelinolysis This causes cell swelling and in severe cases, the cell membrane can rupture. In a hypotonic environment, where there are lots of water molecules outside the cells relative to the concentration of solute, water moves into red blood cells.

Red blood cells are a key example of the importance of osmosis in the body. This may sound counter-intuitive, but the water molecules are still moving down a concentration gradient from an area of high water concentration (a dilute solution) to an area of lower water concentration (a concentrated solution). Water molecules, like urea, are small and uncharged, thus travel via simple diffusion. Osmosis is the process by which water molecules pass through a semipermeable membrane, from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.

Hypertonic hypotonic isotonic simple diagrams