Abstract
It has been proposed that urea and creatinine may bind to red cell constituents. In the present studies, whole blood and plasma concentrations of urea and creatinine were compared using autoanalyzer techniques (that require solutes to pass through a dialysis membrane) and manual techniques (with no dialysis membrane). Blood samples from 11 normal and 10 azotemic subjects were studied. Concentration differences between plasma water and red cell water for these solutes were significant in normals with standard manual but not with autoanalyzer methods. Accordingly, red cell water concentrations in normals were greater with manual methods than with autoanalyzer methods. In azotemics, differences between red cell and plasma water concentrations and differences in red cell water concentrations between methods were proportionately less. The findings suggest that accumulation of these solutes in the red cell in azotemia is predominantly in the freely diffusable form. Any chemical interference of red cell proteins and/or solute binding to red cell constituents yields significant discrepancies between manual and autoanalyzer methods only at lower BUN and creatinine concentrations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Martinek, R. G.: Review of methods for determining urea nitrogen in biologic fluids.J. Am. Med. Technol., 31, 678 (1969).
Murdaugh, V., Jr., Doyle, E.M.: Effect of hemoglobin on erythrocyte urea concentration.J. Lab. Clin. Med., 57, 759 (1961).
Katz, M. A., Hull, A. R.: Transcellular creatinine disequilibrium and its significance in hemodialysis.Nephron, 12, 171 (1974).
Nolph, K. D., Bass, O. E., Maher, J. F.: Acute effects of hemodialysis on removal of intracellular solutes.Trans. Am. Soc. Artif. Intern. Organs, 20, 622 (1974).
Grossman, D. F., Kopp, K. F.: Kinetics of urea diffusion in the organism during hemodialysis. A quantitative control of elimination of urea.Proc. Europ. Dialysis Transplant. Ass., 3, 290 (1966).
Grossman, D. F., Kopp, K. F., Frey, J.: Transport of urea by erythrocytes during hemodialysis.Proc. Europ. Dialysis. Transplant. Ass., 4, 250 (1967).
Henry, R. J., Chiamori, N.: The direct Nesslerization of ammonia formed by urease treatment of blood serum and urine.Amer. J. Clin. Path., 29, 277 (1968).
Chaney, A. D., Marback, E. P.: Modified reagents for determination of urea and ammonia.Clin. Chem., 8, 130 (1962).
Gentxkow, C. J.: An accurate method for the determination of blood urea nitrogen by direct Nesslerization.J. Biol. Chem., 143, 531 (1942).
Owen, J. A., Ipzo, B., Scandrett, F. J., Stewart, C. P.: The determination of creatinine in plasma or serum and in urine. A critical examination.Biochem. J., 58, 426 (1954).
Chasson, A. D., Grady, H. T., Stanky, M. A.: Determination of creatinine by means of automatic chemical analysis.Amer. J. Clin. Path., 35, 83 (1961).
Marsh, W. H., Fingerhut, B., Miller, H.: Automated and manual direct methods for determination of blood urea.Clin. Chem., 11, 624 (1965).
Air Force Technical Report 6039, U.S.A.F. Standard Values in Blood, July 1951.
Davis, F. E., Kenyon, K., Kirk, J.: A rapid titrimetric method for determining the water content of human blood.Science, 118, 276 (1953).
Wintrobe, M. M.: Clinical Hematology. 5th Ed. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia 1961, p. 124.
Wearne, J. T.: Non-specificity of hypochlorite-phenol estimation of ammonium in biological material.Anal. Chem., 35, 327 (1963).
Richterich, R.: Clinical Chemistry. Theory and Practice. Karger, Basel 1969, pp. 253–256.
Bass, O. E., Nolph, K. D., Maher, J. F.: Dialysance and clearance measurements during clinical dialysis. A plea for standardization.J. Lab. Clin. Med., 86, 378 (1975).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nolph, K., Felts, J., Moore, R. et al. Differences in the distribution of urea and creatinine between red cells and plasma in normal and azotemic blood as assessed by autoanalyzer and manual chemical methods. International Urology and Nephrology 10, 59–64 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02082794
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02082794