The Electrical Resistivity of Aqueous Cytoplasm,
Abstract
The mechanism of radiation damage of all cells is critical to an understanding of radiation damage in man and the development of methods of treatment and protection; and studies of cell membranes and cytoplasm constitute a highly specific and valuable method of approaching the problem of how radiation affects cellular function. In these experiments, the apparent cytoplasmic resistivity of two different giant cells has been measured using an extension of a previously developed single microelectrode technique. Each cell is penetrated by a metal microelectrode whose complex impedance is measured as a function of frequency between 500 kHz and 5.7 MHz. By plotting the measured impedance data on the complex Z plane and extrapolating the data to infinite frequency, the substantial effects of electrode polarization can be overcome. For Aplysia giant neurons and muscle fibers of the giant barnacle, the extrapolated cytoplasmic specific resistivities are 40 and 74 ohm-cm, respectively, at infinite frequency.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA033257
Entities
People
- D. O. Carpenter
- J. M. Bidinger
- K. R. Foster
Organizations
- Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute