Agony and Ecstasy
Norris Armstrong
University of Georgia-Athens
1
Susan, a new intern at the local hospital, was working the
admissions desk one Monday morning. A man and a woman
rushed through the doors, carrying a second woman. “Help!
Can you help us?” one called. Susan and a nurse rushed them
into an exam room.
“What happened?” Susan asked while examining the patient.
“We don’t know!” the female student sobbed. “Brittany started
feeling sick at a party last night. She came home and went to
sleep, but then couldn’t wake up this morning. She was acting
so weird we decided to bring her here.”
Susan carefully observed the woman lying on the table. She
was rolling her head and clearly seemed confused. However,
there were no obvious signs of trauma. “Has Brittany taken
any drugs recently?” Susan asked. The two students hesitated
and looked at each other. Finally one of them nodded. “I think
she took some Ecstasy last night.”
2
Susan thought for a moment. Ecstasy had been fairly popular on
the party scene for several years now. She had seen people on the
drug become somewhat confused, but not delirious. Maybe Brittany
was having an adverse reaction to the drug. It was a start. To be
safe, Susan ordered a series of blood tests. In the meantime, she
checked her medical references to find out as much as she could
about how Ecstasy affected the body.
3
Ecstasy (MDMA) Animation
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html
Animation describing the neurological/molecular mechanisms
by which ecstasy works
4
Ecstasy (MDMA) Fact Sheet
• MDMA (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a
synthetic, psychoactive drug chemically similar to the
stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen
mescaline. MDMA acts as both a stimulant and psychedelic.
It produces an energizing effect, distorts both physical and
cognitive sensations, and may impair memory.
• MDMA affects a neuron’s ability to use the chemical
serotonin. Serotonin plays an important role in regulating
mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to
pain. Research in animals indicates that MDMA is a
neurotoxin. MDMA is potentially harmful to health and, on
rare occasions, may be lethal.
5
Ideas why Brittany is ill?
MDMA may affect:
• Blood pressure
• Pulse rate
• Body temperature
• Hyperthermia
• Hypothermia
• Water Balance
• Dehydration
• Excess water
• Blood sugar level
• Vision
6
Brittany’s Test Results
Item and measure
Normal
Brittany
Heart Rate (beats/min)
60-100
90
Blood Pressure (mmHg) 90/50 - 140/90 135/87
98.6
100.2
Temperature (°F)
Glucose (mg/dl)
60-109
72
Sodium-Na+ (mM/L)
135-146
115
Potassium-K+ (mM/L)
3.5-5.5
2.9
Chloride-Cl- (mM/L)
95-109
88
O2 (mmHg)
80-100
93
CO2 (mM/L)
22-32
24
7
CQ#1: What do the test results suggest is
causing Brittany’s illness?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
High blood pressure or rapid heart rate
Hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar water)
Hyperthermia (too hot)
Hypothermia (too cold)
Excess water (too much water)
Dehydration (too little water)
8
Concentration: Amount of one substance
(solute, ) dissolved in given volume of
another substance (solvent, ).
Side A
Side B
9
Ecstasy Case Continued
Susan spoke to the students in the waiting area. “Did
Brittany have much to drink last evening?” “Just one beer,”
replied one. “She had a test today and wanted to study. She
did drink a lot of water. You’re supposed to do that to
prevent a hangover aren’t you? She seemed really thirsty.”
Susan thought for a minute. Normally, Brittany’s kidneys
would respond to drinking a lot of water by producing large
amounts of dilute urine. However, Ecstasy acts as an antidiuretic and forces the kidneys to make concentrated urine
instead. This would prevent Brittany’s body from getting rid
of excess water and could cause her electrolytes to fall.
Could this be causing her symptoms?
10
Diffusion / Osmosis Animations
http://physioweb.med.uvm.edu/diffusion/
11
CQ#2: Assume movement of a molecule is
limited. It can move to the opposite side of
a container or stay where it is. If
movement is random, what is the
probability (0-100%) that the molecule will
move to the opposite side?
Side A
Side B
12
CQ#3: Assume there are 10 molecules on
one side of a container. How many would
you expect to move to the opposite side?
A. 10
B. 5
C. 0
D. It is impossible to predict
Side A
Side B
13
Diffusion with Many Particles
http://physioweb.med.uvm.edu/diffusion/tocpage.htm
(Animation)
14
CQ#4: Which statement best describes how
these molecules will behave over time due to
random movement?
Side A
Side B
A. Red molecules will move from side A to B.
B. Blue molecules will move from side B to A.
C. All of the molecules will move so that red and blue
will become equal on both sides.
D. More molecules will move from side A to B than
from side B to A.
15
Solutions and Transport
• Solution – homogeneous mixture of two or
more components
– Solvent – dissolving medium
– Solutes – components in smaller quantities
within a solution
• Intracellular fluid – nucleoplasm and
cytosol
• Interstitial fluid – fluid on the exterior of the
cell
Brittany’s cells
Inside Cells
Outside Cells
300 mM Salt
250 mM Salt
17
CQ#5: Which of the following molecules
could move through a phospholipid
membrane with the least difficulty?
A. H2O
B. Glucose
C. Na+
D. O2
E. An amino acid
18
Cell Membrane
Cell Membrane
Outside of
cell
Proteins
Carbohydrate
chains
Cell
membrane
Inside of cell
(cytoplasm)
Protein
channel
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Lipid bilayer
20
Figure 5.13 Two structures formed by self-assembly of phospholipids in aqueous environments
HOW DO MOLECULES CROSS?
Hydrophobic
Hydrophilic
22
Figure 8.7 The structure of a transmembrane protein
Aquaporins
24
Brittany’s Tissues
Aquaporin
Inside the cells
Outside the cells
25
CQ#6: What do you expect to happen over
time in Brittany’s cells?
Inside Cells
300 mM Salt
Outside Cells
250 mM Salt
A. Water will move from inside to outside ONLY.
B. Water will move from outside to inside ONLY.
C. Water will move in both directions, but more water
will move inside.
D. Water will move in both directions, but more water
will move outside.
E. Water will not move.
26
So what happened to Brittany?
Brittany was treated for hyponatremia. The treatment
included giving her an IV of fluids with normal or slightly
higher sodium concentrations to correct the salt imbalance
in her tissues.
A problem associated with acute (sudden) hyponatremia, or
water intoxication, is swelling of tissues due to osmotic
uptake of water by cells. Fortunately, because she received
treatment, they were able to reverse the swelling effects
before her brain stem was damaged.
Hyponatremia can be very serious because of the possibility
of brain damage.
27
Problems with Hyponatremia
• Brittney Chambers of Colorado (2001), Leah Betts of Great
Britain (1995), and Anna Wood of Australia (1995) died after
reportedly taking Ecstasy and drinking large amounts of
water.
• Fraternity hazing killed Matthew Carrington, a student at
California State Chico February 2005.
• In Sacramento, Jennifer Strange died after a water-drinking
contest "Hold your wee for a Wii” sponsored by a local radio
station, January 2007.
• A 28-year-old female Boston marathoner died in 2002.
• Artist Andy Warhol died after hospital staff accidentally
administered excess water after gall bladder surgery (1987).
• Infants fed diluted formula for extended periods of time can
suffer from hyponatremia.
28
Cell Membrane
Cell Membrane
The cell membrane regulates what enters and leaves the cell and also
provides protection and support.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Diffusion Through Cell Boundaries
Measuring Concentration
A solution is a mixture of two or more substances.
The substances dissolved in the solution are called
solutes.
The concentration of a solution is the mass of
solute in a given volume of solution, or
mass/volume.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Diffusion Through Cell Boundaries
Diffusion
Particles in a solution tend to move from an area
where they are more concentrated to an area
where they are less concentrated.
This process is called diffusion.
When the concentration of the solute is the same
throughout a system, the system has reached
equilibrium.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Diffusion Through Cell Boundaries
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Cellular Physiology: Membrane
Transport
• Membrane Transport – movement of
substance into and out of the cell
• Transport is by two basic methods
– Passive transport
• No energy is required
– Active transport
• The cell must provide metabolic energy
Selective Permeability
• The plasma membrane allows some
materials to pass while excluding others
• This permeability includes movement into
and out of the cell
35
Simple diffusion
Facilitated diffusion
Passive Transport Processes
• Types of diffusion
– Simple diffusion
• Unassisted process
• Solutes are lipid-soluble materials or small enough
to pass through membrane pores
Passive Transport Processes
• Types of diffusion
– Facilitated diffusion
• Substances require a protein carrier for passive
transport
– Osmosis – facilitated diffusion of water
• Highly polar water easily crosses the plasma
membrane through protein channels
Diffusion through the Plasma
Membrane
Figure 3.10
Osmosis
Osmosis
Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a selectively
permeable membrane.
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Osmosis
How Osmosis Works
Concentrated
sugar solution
(Water less
concentrated)
Dilute sugar
solution (Water
more
concentrated)
Sugar
molecules
Selectively permeable
membrane
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Movement of
water
Osmosis
Water tends to diffuse
from a highly
concentrated region to a less concentrated
region.
If you compare two solutions, three terms can
be used to describe the concentrations:
hypertonic (“above strength”).
hypotonic (“below strength”).
isotonic (”same strength”)
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Figure 8.12 The water balance of living cells
Active Transport Processes
• Transport substances that are unable to pass by
diffusion
– They may be too large
– They may not be able to dissolve in the fat
core of the membrane
– They may have to move against a
concentration gradient
• Two common forms of active transport
– Solute pumping
– Bulk transport
Active Transport
Energy
Active Transport Processes
• Solute pumping
– Amino acids, some sugars and ions are
transported by solute pumps
– ATP energizes protein carriers, and in most
cases, moves substances against
concentration gradients
PRESS
TO PLAY
ACTIVE TRANSPORT ANIMATION
Active Transport Processes
Figure 3.11
Endocytosis
Figure 3.13a
Active Transport Processes
• Bulk transport
– Endocytosis
• Extracellular substances are engulfed by being
enclosed in a membranous vescicle
– Types of endocytosis
• Phagocytosis – cell eating
• Pinocytosis – cell drinking
Active Transport Processes
• Bulk transport
– Exocytosis
•
•
•
•
•
Moves materials out of the cell
Material is carried in a membranous vesicle
Vesicle migrates to plasma membrane
Vesicle combines with plasma membrane
Material is emptied to the outside
Exocytosis
Figure 3.12a
Endo & Exocytosis
Golgi
Apparatus
Vesicle
Cell
Membrane
52
Passive Transport Processes
• Filtration
– Water and solutes are forced through a
membrane by fluid, or hydrostatic pressure
– A pressure gradient must exist
• Solute-containing fluid is pushed from a high
pressure area to a lower pressure area
7-3
Unlike a cell wall, a cell membrane
•
•
is composed of a lipid bilayer.
provides rigid support for the surrounding cell.
•
allows most small molecules and ions to pass
through easily.
is found only in plants, fungi, algae, and many
prokaryotes.
•
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7-3
The concentration of a solution is defined as the
•
•
•
•
volume of solute in a given mass of solution.
mass of solute in a given volume of solution.
mass of solution in a given volume of solute.
volume of solution in a given mass of solute.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
7-3
If a substance is more highly concentrated
outside the cell than inside the cell and the
substance can move through the cell
membrane, the substance will
• move by diffusion from inside the cell to outside.
• remain in high concentration outside the cell.
• move by diffusion from outside to inside the cell.
• cause water to enter the cell by osmosis.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
7-3
The movement of materials in a cell against a
concentration difference is called
•
•
•
•
facilitated diffusion.
active transport.
osmosis.
diffusion.
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7-3
The process by which molecules diffuse across
a membrane through protein channels is
called
•
•
•
•
active transport.
endocytosis.
facilitated diffusion.
osmosis.
Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall
Figure 44.14a Osmoregulation in a saltwater fish
Figure 44.14b Osmoregulation in a freshwater fish
Figure 44.13 Nitrogenous wastes
62
Figure 44.17 Key functions of excretory systems: an overview
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