Iraq Kurdistan Region

Dohuk Polytechnic Technical Institute

University Dep of Bardarash
nursing

Fundamental OF Nursing

Report / Isotonic
prepared by:

1. Rathwan Bako
2. Yousif khadr
3. Haval jarjes
4. Nora Maarof
5. Aisha Moshir
6. Brjeen Sami

Supervised by:Dr. Nechirwan K Mageed

2022-2023

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Table of Contents
 Isotonic Definition
 Hypertonic Solution vs Isotonic Solution
 Hypotonic Solution vs Isotonic Solution
 What is an Isotonic Solution?
 Medical use of Isotonic solutions
 Non-Medical use of isotonic solutions
 Measurement of tonicity
 Isotonic Muscle Contraction
 Isotonic exercise definition
 References

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Isotonic Definition

What does isotonic mean? The term “isotonic” is used in physiology, anatomy, and
physical chemistry. See below.

Isotonic definition science/chemistry

In physical chemistry: Solutions that are categorized as having equivalent or identical
osmotic pressure

Isotonic definition physiology/biology

In physiology: Again, in physiology, isotonic are the solutions that have similar
solute content as that of mammalian blood

Isotonic definition anatomy

Anatomically, it refers to muscles exhibiting the same tension. Isotonic is a muscle
contraction condition wherein, under same or constant tension, the length of the
muscle decreases

What is isotonic? The solutions having the same tonicity are known as isotonic
solutions. So, the question arises, what is the definition of tonicity? Tonicity is the
estimate of relative solute concentration across a semipermeable membrane, which,
therefore, is also a measure of the effective osmotic pressure gradient across a
semipermeable membrane.

The amount (or extent) and direction of the movement of the solvent across a
semipermeable membrane are determined by the tonicity. It is important to note that
only the solute that cannot cross the semipermeable membrane is responsible for the
generation of osmotic pressure gradient or tonicity. It is important to understand
that iso-osmotic solutions are not always isotonic solutions and, therefore, the two
terms can’t be used interchangeably.

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Depending on the tonicity, solutions can be classified into three types:

 Hypertonic
 Hypotonic
 Isotonic

Figure 1: Movement of water when placed in a solution having different solute

concentrations (hypotonic, hypertonic, or isotonic solution).
Biology definition:
Isotonic is a descriptive word relating to isotonicity. At the cellular level, isotonicity
may pertain to a property of a solution in which its solute concentration is the same as
the solute concentration of another solution with which it is compared. Thus, a
solution is described as isotonic when the other solution being compared with having
the same (or equal) osmotic pressure and same water potential since the two solutions
have an equal concentration of water molecules. It may also pertain to a condition or
property of a solution that has the same tonicity as the other solution with which it is
compared. For example, blood serum is isotonic to a physiologic salt solution.
Solutions that have the same tonicity will result in no net flow of water across the cell

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membrane. Etymology: from iso– + Greek tonos (“tension”) + -
ic. Compare hypotonic, hypertonic.

Hypertonic Solution vs Isotonic Solution

When a solution has a higher solute concentration than the solution present across the
semi-permeable membrane, it is known as a hypertonic solution. As a result, when a
cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, an osmotic pressure gradient forces the solvent
to move out of the cell in order to attain equal solute concentration across a
membrane (Figure 1). This is visualized as cell shrinkage. Thus, when a cell is placed
in a hypertonic solution, it leads to shrinkage of the cell known
as plasmolysis (Figure 2). In such a scenario, the cell membrane acts as
a semipermeable membrane and the solution having a higher solute concentration in
comparison to the cytosolic concentration is known as hypertonic.

Figure 2: Effect of solute concentration on the plant cell structure. Notice that the cell
before plasmolysis (top) is turgid. The cell appears swollen. After plasmolysis though
(bottom), the cell has gaps between the cell wall and the plasma membrane.

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In animal cells, the equivalent condition of plant plasmolysis is crenation. In Figure
1, notice how the red blood cells lose water as water molecules diffuse down the
concentration gradient.

Hypotonic Solution vs Isotonic Solution

When a solution has a lower solute concentration than the solution present across the
semipermeable membrane, it is known as a hypotonic solution. As a result, when a
cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, an osmotic pressure gradient forces the solvent
to move into the cell in order to attain equal solute concentration across a membrane
(Figure 1). This is visualized as cell swelling.

When a cell is placed in a solution having a lower solute concentration in comparison

to cytosolic concentration, the gradient difference results in the movement of the
solvent into the cell resulting in swelling and eventually, bursting or cytolysis of the
cell (Figure 1). Usually, this happens in the case of animal cells, which are without
any cell wall. However, in the case of plant cells that have a cell wall and a
central vacuole, the rigid cell wall protects the cell from bursting and the vacuoles
take up the excess water pushing up the cell membrane against the cell wall. (Figure
3) This phenomenon is known as turgor pressure.

Figure 3: Notice that a plant cell in hypotonic solution results in water moving into

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the cell. This, in turn, leads to a large turgor pressure being exerted against the plant
cell wall.
What is an Isotonic Solution?

An isotonic solution is one wherein the solute concentration across the

semipermeable membrane is the same resulting in an equilibrium state. Thus, in the
case of isotonic solutions due to the absence of a concentration gradient, there is
no net movement of the solvent molecules across a semipermeable membrane (Figure
1). However, it does not mean that there is no movement of the solvent across the
membrane. In reality, only the rate of solvent movement across the membrane is the
same which results in a net-zero movement. Thus, there is neither gain nor loss of the
solvent molecules across the membrane (Figure 1 & 3).

Normal saline solution (9 gm/l of sodium chloride solution) is iso-osmolar and

isotonic to the blood plasma. So, what is a saline solution? Saline solution is an
aqueous solution of sodium chloride, wherein 9 grams of sodium chloride is
dissolved in 1 liter of the water i.e., 0.9% w/v. Due to similar sodium concentrations
in blood, saline is also known as a physiological solution.

Due to isotonicity, saline solution is widely used in medicine both topically as well
as parenterally (i.e., injecting directly into the bloodstream), like in cleaning wounds,
sinus, fluid replacement therapy, hydration maintenance, etc. The red blood cells
retain their shape. They do not shrink or swell in an isotonic saline solution, i.e., 0.9%
w/v solution of sodium chloride (Figure 1).

Now, let’s suppose RBCs are placed in a solution with a sodium chloride
concentration of 2% w/v. The sodium chloride concentration of 2% w/v is greater
than the RBC’s sodium content and hence the solution is hypertonic. This will result
in shrinkage of the RBCs known as crenation (Figure 1).

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In another situation, let’s suppose RBCs are placed in a solution with a sodium
chloride concentration of 0.1 % w/v. The sodium chloride concentration of 0.1% w/v
is less than the RBC’s sodium content and hence hypotonic saline. This will result in
swelling and eventually bursting of the RBCs which will result in the release
of hemoglobin. This is known as hemolysis (Figure 1), which is a very dangerous
situation.

Thus, in medicine, it is critical to administer only the isotonic saline solution

intravenously, i.e., directly into the bloodstream. A hyper- or hypo-tonic solution
can’t be administered via the intravenous route.

Interestingly, subcutaneous and intramuscular injection formulation can be non-

isotonic, as blood cells don’t come directly in contact with the injectable formulation.
However, ophthalmic solutions should be isotonic in order to avoid ophthalmic
irritation and pain.

The lacrimal fluid is also isotonic with normal saline. A hypotonic solution can result
in the passage of fluid into the ocular tissues causing congestion whereas a hypertonic
solution will result in the extrusion of fluid from the tissue. Still, the human eye can
tolerate 0.6% to 1.8% w/v.

What are examples of isotonic? Some of the examples of the isotonic solutions are
as follows: normal saline, phosphate buffer saline, Lactated Ringer’s solution, Oral
rehydration solutions (ORS), and Hartmann’s solution

Medical use of Isotonic solutions

 Oral Rehydration Therapy uses the isotonic solution for electrolyte

supplementation and maintenance of hydration in cases like enteritis, diarrhea,
etc.
 Saline treatment for treating extreme dehydration and hypernatremia (a
condition wherein the serum concentration of sodium is increased).

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  Saline solution is used as a vehicle for parenteral, especially intravenous,
administration of drugs as saline solution and blood plasma are isotonic.
 Lactated Ringer’s solution and Hartmann’s solution are isotonic with blood
plasma and used for the treatment of hypovolemia (blood volume is reduced
may be due to injury or any other reason) and acidosis (blood acidity
increases).
 Saline solution is used for treating rhinosinusitis.
 Saline solution is used as a vehicle for drugs that are to be administered via
nebulization.
 For ophthalmic disorders

Non-Medical use of isotonic solutions

 Sports drinks for providing hydration and electrolyte supplementation

 Phosphate buffer saline is also used as a vehicle for maintaining cell cultures
during experimentation

Measurement of tonicity

The tonicity of a solution can be measured by two methods:

 Hemolytic methods
This method is based on the principle of change in appearance (size and shape)
of the RBCs when suspended in the test solution. The packed cell volume
(PCV) of the RBCs in the test solution is compared with the reference solution
and categorized as isotonic (PCVtest=PCVref) /hypertonic (PCVtest<PCVref)
/hypotonic (PCVtest>PCVref).
 Colligative methods
In this method, tonicity is measured using colligative properties like-
o Molecular concentration
o Freezing point data
o Sodium chloride equivalent value
o White-Vincent method

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Isotonic Muscle Contraction

Isotonic contraction definition: In physiology, when the muscles change in length of

the muscles resulting in a movement without a change in the muscle tension then this
movement of the muscle is known as isotonic muscle contraction (Isotonic meaning-
‘iso’ means same; ‘tone’ means tension). On the other hand, muscles can cause a
change in the muscle tension without a change in the muscle dimension or movement
via isometric muscle contractions (Isometric meaning-‘iso’ means same; ‘metric’
means length). These contractions are commonly seen in the muscles responsible for
grip in the hand and forearm.

Isotonic muscle contraction can be further subdivided into:

 Concentric contractions
During this contraction, the muscles shorten to generate force to overcome
resistance. For eg: Weight lifting towards the shoulders involves concentric
muscle contractions.
 Eccentric contractions
During this contraction, the muscles increase in length to generate force to
overcome resistance. These contractions can be voluntary as well as non-
voluntary.

Isotonic exercise definition

Exercises that involve a lifting phase and a lowering phase is considered to be

isotonic exercises, like bicep curls and push-ups. Bicep curls involve raising the arm
and lowering it while push-up exercise involves raising the body and lowering it in a
plank position. Here, it is important to understand that isotonic muscles will exhibit
the same muscle tone. Hence, isotonic exercise may not result from isotonic muscles.
For example, in bicep curls, a person may exert more unequal focus on the right or
left biceps thus resulting in non-isotonic muscles. On the contrary, in the push-ups
both the sides of the body work equally, and hence they result from isotonic muscles.

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References
1. Mathias, R. T., & Wang, H. (2005). Local osmosis and isotonic
transport. The Journal of membrane biology, 208(1), 39–53.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-005-0817-9.
2. Fishman, R. A. (1953). Effects of isotonic intravenous solutions on
normal and increased intracranial pressure. AMA Arch NeurPsych.
70(3):350–360. doi:10.1001/archneurpsyc.1953.02320330075007
3. Baranowski, P., Karolewicz, B., Gajda, M., & Pluta, J. (2014).
Ophthalmic drug dosage forms: characterization and research methods.
The Scientific World Journal, 2014, 861904.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/861904.
4. Sheldon F. G. (1978). Isosmotic and Isotonic Are Not the Same. The
American Biology Teacher 40 (5): 321–323. doi:
https://doi.org/10.2307/4446258.

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