Erythrocyte permeability to lipophilic solutes changes with temperature.

Studies of permeability coefficients of biological barriers to members of homologous series can provide information of value in assessing barrier characteristics. To this end, we have determined the linear diffusion coefficients of tracer water (THO), [14C]antipyrine, [14C]acetamide, and n-[14C]alcohols over the range of 10-37 degrees C for dog erythrocytes (D), hemoglobin (D2), and plasma (D1). Permeability coefficients (Po) calculated with the series-parallel pathway model are higher than Po for water at 37 degrees C for all the alcohols except hexanol. Po for acetamide and antipyrine are considerably lower than Po for water at 37 degrees C. The apparent activation energies (Ea) for Po of acetamide and the C1, C2, and C3 alcohols are 10.5 kcal.mol-1, similar to the values obtained with epithelial or lipid bilayers. The Ea's for the larger alcohols are 2-4 kcal.mol-1. The Ea for Po of water is 5.3 kcal.mol-1, similar to the Ea for self-diffusion of water; Ea for antipyrine is 25 kcal.mol-1. We interpret these results to indicate heterogeneity of membrane-solute interactions or of membrane pathways in the erythrocyte for lipid-soluble molecules that is related to both lipid solubility and solute size, as we have suggested in an earlier study and confirmed experimentally in the present one.