Abstract
Cells contain proteins, nucleic acids, and other macromolecules that often carry many negative charges per molecule. This electrical charge is balanced by positive ions (especially potassium, denoted by K+) that are dissolved in the intracellular water. These ions tend to draw water into the cells by osmosis, and the cells would swell and eventually burst if this osmotic effect were not offset by other factors.
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© 2002 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
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Hoppensteadt, F.C., Peskin, C.S. (2002). Control of Cell Volume and Electrical Properties of Cell Membranes. In: Modeling and Simulation in Medicine and the Life Sciences. Texts in Applied Mathematics, vol 10. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21571-6_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21571-6_4
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-2871-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-21571-6
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