Effect of Hyperthermia and Ionizing Radiation on the Erythrocyte Membrane

Summary

Spin-label studies of the effects of hyperthermia on the erythrocyte membrane revealed a decrease in the fluidity of lipids and changes in the state of membrane proteins. The rate of haemolysis in iso-osmotic glycerol solution was increased. Changes of most of the parameters studied when plotted in Arrhenius coordinates revealed a discontinuity (critical hyperthermic transition in the membrane) between 46 and 50°C.

Studies of the combined action of ionizing radiation (100 Gy) and hyperthermia (43°C) showed the same direction of changes for (Na-K-Mg)-ATPase activity and spectra of membrane-bound maleimide spin label for both agents, but the additivity of changes depended on the parameter studied.