Membrane Properties of Erythrocytes Biomedical Sciences Lab Report

Membrane Properties of Erythrocytes

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Membrane Properties of Erythrocytes

Introduction

The structure and function of cell membranes in living cells in living cells is an important area in cell biology that expounds the knowledge on the internal mechanism of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. There are a number of theoretical models available today that explain how these important organelles are organized and how they function. The basic structure of cell membrane comprises of two lipid layers (bilayers) and proteins. The bilayer is made up to phospholids, which contain phosphate groups and lipids that are arranged in two layers containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, hence the name “bilayer.” The hydrophobic property of the cell membrane is caused by the hydrophobic groups that are only in contact with themselves, making it impossible to interact with other polar molecules and external water. Through this property, the cell membrane can filter out polar molecules while allowing the hydrophobic substances to penetrate the cell.

On the other hand, hydrophilic or polar molecules are only allowed into the cell through active transport and this involves carriers and protein channels that transport the molecules into the cell. The non-polar molecules are lipid soluble and do not need any pore...