Arrhenius Equation in Analysis of the Mechanism of Erythrocyte Hemolysis

The effect of temperature on the kinetics of erythrocyte hemolysis induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide and dinitrosyl iron complex with thiosulfate ligands was studied. The inverse of the time needed to achieve 50% hemolysis was used as an estimate of the rate of hemolysis. This has afforded us an opportunity to present the obtained experimental data in the form of linear graphs of Arrhenius. The slope for tert-butyl hydroperoxide was 2.4 times higher. This means that erythrocyte hemolysis induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide is more thermosensitive and, probably, proceeds through a different chemical mechanism. The hemolysis of red blood cells induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide was preceded by a concentration-dependent increase in the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances the erythrocyte membranes, indicating the activation of lipid peroxidation. This effect was not observed in the case of dinitrosyl iron complex with thiosulfate ligands. This confirms the difference in the mechanisms of hemolytic action of tert-butyl hydroperoxide and dinitrosyl iron complexes and is consistent with the results of the analysis of the temperature dependences of the rate of hemolysis according to the Arrhenius equation.