States of stability/lysis in human fetal and adults red blood cells

Abstract In human red blood cells from umbilical cord (NRBC) and from adult (ARBC) blood we measured : (i) the equilibrium distribution (medium/cells) for haemoglobin as a function of medium osmolality (osmotic fragility curve) and (ii) the rate of haemoglobin loss to a hypotonic medium of fixed osmolality. From the analysis of the osmotic (cumulative) fragility curve, a subpopulation of high resistance (young?) cells was individualized only in samples from cord blood. The differences presented in the rate of haemoglobin loss between samples of umbilical cord and adult's blood point to distinct cell surface restrictions (cytoskeleton and/or plasma membrane phospholipid) to haemoglobin leak in both cells. Uniformly distributed (among all cells in both samples) differences could explain the distinct rates of haemoglobin loss. However, marked differences restricted to only a subpopulation of cord blood cells could also explain these results.