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1. How cells regulate their

intracellular environment;
how cells generate
excitability

Betty Exintaris

EXPLORE TOPIC 1: EXPLORE TOPIC 1:

Excitable tissues and action Excitable tissues and action
potentials potentials

EXPLORE TOPIC 2:
Diffusion and action
potentials

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Learning outcomes Cell (plasma) membrane: Gateway AND barrier

This is what you are working towards. Being able to:

1. Describe the structures of typical mammalian cells;
2. Describe the structure and function of cell components and organelles;
e.g. the cell membrane, cytoskeleton, mitochondria, the nucleus,
lysosomes, peroxisomes, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi
complex, etc.;
3. Explain how the cell membrane can control the movement of ions into
and out of the cell, and how the selectively permeable membrane
creates an electrochemical gradient that influences resting membrane
potential;
4. Relate alterations in membrane permeability to changes in membrane
potential, and the generation of an action potential in excitable cells, e.g.
neurones;
5. Predict the effect of disrupting membrane function on cellular, tissue,
organ and whole body health.

5 6

Excitable Tissues

Muscle and Nerves are EXCITABLE tissue

generate & propagate electrical signals

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Membrane potential

• Membrane potential can be recorded using

electrophysiological techniques

+
Membrane Potential (mV)

-70

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Something to consider!

• Drug X blocks Na+ channels. What do you think

would happen to a neurone if you stimulated it
repeatedly in the presence of Drug X?

Potential (mV)
Membrane
0

Toxin Y

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Action potential

+
Membrane Potential (mV)

What is Discovery?

Will I understand everything before

coming to class?

What do I need to know?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

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Membrane potential I want to ask about the Goldman-Hodgkin-katz

equation, I still don't understand this formula
• The potential difference across a cell membrane due to
the uneven distribution of ions between the intracellular after reading the discovery, do we need to fully
and extracellular fluids understand and use it?
• The inside of the cell is negative with respect to the
outside

K+
Na+
Na+ K+
Ca2+
Ca2+ Cl- Cl-

Something to consider!
With question 5 of the check your learning quiz, A red blood
cell is found in a 0.3M concentration of urea and a 0.4M
concentration of Sucrose. With regards to osmolarity, when • Drug Y blocks the Na+ / K+ pump. What do you
dealing with two concentrations of different substances, think would happen to a neurone if you
does the average osmolarity of the intracellular environment stimulated it repeatedly in the presence of Drug
double. For this scenario, whether the average osmolarity
doubles or not does not affect the osmolarity since both Y?
0.3Osm and 0.6Osm are less than the combined 0.7Osm of What effect would botulinum toxin A have?
both sucrose and urea, meaning that the osmolarity is going
to be hypertonic in both situations. If a situation were to arise
where there was lets say, 0.2M of Urea and 0.3M of +
sucrose, if the average osmolarity doubled then, the cell
Potential (mV)
Membrane

would be hypotonic (0.6Osm of intracellular fluid > 0.5Osm 0

of extracellular solution). However if the average osmolarity
of the intracellular fluid stayed constant at 0.3Osm, then the
cell would be deemed hypertonic (0.3 < 0.5). -

Toxin X

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Botox (Botulinum toxin)

• Interferes with neural transmission

• Acts at the neuromuscular junction
• Blocks vesicular release of
acetylcholine (ACh) from the pre
synaptic terminal
• Result = temporary muscle paralysis

Clinical uses
• Overactive bladder
• Evidence to suggest to support the
use in motor disorders involve
spasticity

Osmolarity & Tonicity

300mOsm

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Osmolarity and tonicity Osmolarity and tonicity

Osmolarity
The concentration of all solute particles (penetrating and
non-penetrating)

Tonicity
The concentration of non-penetrating solute particles
n.b. The tonicity will determine whether the cells will
lyse, crenate or remain unaffected

hypotonic -cells will swell, possibly lyse

hypertonic -cells will crenate (shrink)
isotonic -cells will remain unchanged
Concentration of intracellular fluid
0.3M or 0.3Osm or 300mOsm

Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example 1

• Red blood cells are placed in a solution

containing 0.15M sucrose. Which of the following
statements is CORRECT?
a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
d) The solution is hypo-osmotic and hypotonic
e) The red blood cells will remain unchanged
when placed in this solution

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Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example 1 Osmolarity & Tonicity-Answer 1

0.15M sucrose= • Red blood cells are placed in a solution

150mM sucrose= Please note, if the example was containing 0.15M sucrose. Which of the following
150mOsm sucrose 0.15M NaCl, because NaCl statements is CORRECT?
Red blood cell dissociates into Na+ and Cl- in
300 mOsm solution, the osmolarity would be a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
2X150=300mOsm. NaCl. Also
note that NaCl is considered non- b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
penetrating in that it can’t
passively diffuse across the
c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
membrane –charged (Na+ & Cl-)! d) The solution is hypo-osmotic and
•Sucrose is non-penetrating
•Concentration in Osm=150 Osm sucrose hypotonic
•The solution is hypo-osmolar (hypo means less than) with respect to the red blood cell e) The red blood cells will remain unchanged
(150 vs 300)
•The solution is hypo-tonic (hypo means less than) with respect to the red blood cell (0 vs when placed in this solution
150 i.e. 0 concentration of non-penetrating solutes on the outside of the cell)
•A hypo-tonic solution means that the red blood cell will burst when placed in this
solution because water will move into the cell (down it’s concentration gradient)

Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example 2

• Red blood cells are placed in a solution
containing 0.3 M sucrose. Which of the following
statements is CORRECT?
a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
d) The solution is hyper-osmotic and hypertonic
e) The red blood cells will burst when placed in
this solution

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Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example 2 Osmolarity & Tonicity-Answer 2

0.3M sucrose= • Red blood cells are placed in a solution

300mM sucrose= containing 0.3M sucrose. Which of the following
300mOsm sucrose statements is CORRECT?
Red blood cell
300 mOsm a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
d) The solution is hyper-osmotic and hypertonic
•Sucrose is non-penetrating
•Concentration in Osm=300 mOsm sucrose e) The red blood cells will burst when placed in
•The solution is iso-osmolar (iso means the same) with respect to the red blood cell (300 this solution
vs 300)
•The solution is iso-tonic (iso means the same) with respect to the red blood cell (300 vs
300)
•An iso-tonic solution means that the red blood cell will remain unchanged when placed
in this solution

Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example 3

• Red blood cells are placed in a solution
containing 0.3 M urea and 0.4 M sucrose. Which
of the following statements is CORRECT?
a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
d) The solution is hyper-osmotic and hypertonic
e) The red blood cells will burst when placed in
this solution

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Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example 3 Osmolarity & Tonicity-Answer 3

0.4M sucrose= • Red blood cells are placed in a solution

400mM sucrose= containing 0.3 M urea and 0.4 M sucrose. Which
400mOsm sucrose of the following statements is CORRECT?
Red blood cell
300 mOsm a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
0.3M urea=
300mM urea= b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
300mOsm urea c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
d) The solution is hyper-osmotic and
•Sucrose is non-penetrating, urea is penetrating
•Concentration in Osm=400 mOsm sucrose + 300mOsm urea=700mOsm hypertonic
•The solution is hyper-osmolar (hyper means more than) with respect to the red blood e) The red blood cells will burst when placed in
cell (700 vs 300)
•The solution is hyper-tonic (hyper means more than) with respect to the red blood cell this solution
(400 of non-penetrating vs 300)
•A hypertonic solution means that the red blood cell will shrink when placed in this
solution (water move out of the cell, down it’s concentration gradient)

Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example

• Red blood cells are placed in a solution
containing 0.3 M urea and 0.15 M NaCl. Which
of the following statements is CORRECT?
a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
d) The solution is hyper-osmotic and hypertonic
e) The red blood cells will burst when placed in
this solution

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Osmolarity & Tonicity-Example

• Red blood cells are placed in a solution
containing 0.15 M CaCl2. Which of the following
statements is CORRECT?
a) The solution is iso-osmotic and hypertonic
b) The solution is iso-osmotic and isotonic
c) The solution is hyper-osmotic and isotonic
d) The solution is hyper-osmotic and hypertonic
e) The red blood cells will burst when placed in
this solution

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