osmotic lysis
Water-induced cell rupture
Osmotic lysis is the rupturing of a cell when water rushes in through its membrane faster than the cell can compensate.
Cells in a solution less concentrated than their interior absorb water by osmosis until they swell and burst.
Red blood cells are particularly vulnerable: The lab technician induced osmotic lysis to release the hemoglobin for analysis.
The phenomenon matters in medicine, microbiology, and food preservation.
- burstingBreaking from internal pressure
- cellBasic unit of life
- cell membraneOuter layer of cytoplasm
- membraneThin tissue sheet
- ruptureViolent tearing apart
burst open · hypotonic · swelling · hemolysis · red blood cell · cytoplasm · water · pressure · red blood cells · explosion · fragile · saltwater · salt water · diffusion · plasma · distension · hypertonic · equilibrium
- cell damagecell damage, cell death, cell lysis, necrosis, apoptosis
- cell lysislysis, cytolysis, cell lysis, hemolysis, sonication
- Germ Killingdisinfection, sterilization, antiseptics, disinfectants, tetracyclines
- hemolysishemolysis
- lysiscytolysis, hemolysis, autolysis, glycolysis, proteolysis
osmotic, osmosis, osmotically, osmose, analysis, analytic, analytical, catalysis, catalyst