Prof.

Ranil Jayawardena
(MBBS, HND, MSc, PhD, RNutr)
Department of Physiology
Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo
What is the main difference?
Composition of the body of a young adult
male – (75kg)
• Protein and related substances ≈ 18%
• Fat ≈ 15%
• Mineral ≈ 07%
• Water (Total body water, TBW) ≈ 60%

TBW → 45 liters
Total Body Water (TBW)
Distribution of water in the body
 Distribution of water in the body
Total body water (Body fluids)

Intracellular Fluid (ICF) Extracellular Fluid (ECF)

(2/3rd TBW) (1/3rd TBW)

Intravascular Fluid Interstitial (Tissue) Trans-cellular Fluid

(plasma) (1/4thECF) Fluid (3/4th ECF) (small amount)
 Trans-cellular Fluid
• Belong to ECF but quite separate
• Amount very small
E.g.
! Fluids in joints
 Question
Calculate the following for a 60 kg young adult male

1. Total body water

2. ICF volume
3. ECF volume
4. Plasma volume
 Physiological variations in body water
content
• Factors affecting the body water
content
–Age
–Gender (sex)
–Fat content
 Effect of AGE
• Water content decreases with age in both sexes.

70% 60% 50%

Infants! Young adults Old

• ‘ECF volume : ICF volume’ is larger in infants and children than in

adults.
• Losses easily occur from ECF compartment than ICF compartment.
 Effect of GENDER and FAT CONTENT
TBW higher percentage in males (60%) than females (50%)

Fat is relatively free of water

Therefore,

↑ the fat content → ↓ the water content

A human fat cell
 Water Balance
For proper functioning of the body,

Water gain (intake) = Water output

Water Gains → L/day Water losses → L/day

1. Oral fluids ≈ 1.7 1. Kidney (urine) ≈ 1.5

2. In foods ≈ 1.0 2. Lungs (expired air) ≈ 0.7
3. Metabolic water ≈ 0.3 3. Skin (sweat, insensible loss) ≈ 0.7
4. Faeces ≈ 0.1
Total 3.0 Total 3.0
 Regulation of water balance
Normal

Water gains Water losses

 Positive balance
Over Hydration
Normal

Water losses

Water gains
 Negative balance
Dehydration
Normal

Water gains

Water losses
Distribution of electrolytes in body fluid
compartments
Extracellular fluid
Intracellular fluid Tissue fluid Plasma

PO43-
Cl- Cl-
K+ Na+ Na+

Prot
HCO3- HCO3-
Mg+
Prot.

Major cation K+ Major cation – Na2+

Major anions – PO43-, Proteins Major anion – Cl-
Movement of substances between body fluid
compartments ??
• Glucose to your muscle cell … write
 Movement of substances between body fluid
compartments
• Circulation by blood

• Exchange at capillary level (biological barrier –

capillary wall)

• Exchange between ECF & ICF (biological barrier – cell

membrane)
Mechanisms of movement of substances
across biological barriers
• Diffusion – Simple, facilitated
• Active transport
• Osmosis
O2 ,CO2… H2O
 Rate of diffusion
• Amount of substance available
• Velocity of kinetic motion
• Number and size of the openings in the
membrane
Interaction (binding chemically) with a carrier protein. And
shuttling through the membrane.
What is the different between simple
diffusion and facilitated diffusion?
 Osmosis
Movement of solvent from a region of low solute concentration to a
region of high solute concentration across a semi permeable
membrane. ie. a membrane which is permeable to the solvent but not
to the solute.

Semi – permeable
membrane
 Osmotic pressure
• Pressure necessary to be applied to a solution
to prevent the inward flow of solvent across
a semi-permeable membrane by osmosis.
• Osmosis occurs from low osmotic pressure
to high osmotic pressure.
• Osmole – 1 gram of molecular weight of osmotically active
solute. 180 g of glucose one osmole of glucose. But if solute
dissocite into ions different. NaCl 58.5 g = 2 osmoles.
• Osmolality – number of osmoles per kilogram of solvent.
• Osmolarity – number of osmoles per litre of solution.
• For body fluids osmolality and osmolarity are more or less
the same as the solvent is water.
• Plasma osmolality – 290 mosm/kg
 Relation of osmolality to osmotic
pressure
• In the normal body temperature, 1 osmole per litter
will cause 19,300 mmHg.

• Body fluids has 300 milliosmole should produce (by

calculation) 5790 mmHg. But actually, the measured
value is around 5500 mmHg. Why ?
 Tonicity
• Describes osmolality of a solution in
relation to plasma
- isotonic – same as plasma
- hypotonic - lower than in plasma
- hypertonic - higher than in plasma
• Outline the distribution of Total Body Water (TBW) in body fluid compartments.
• Describe the differences in distribution of body water in infants and children in
dehydration.
• Briefly describe the importance of water balance.
• Outline the distribution of electrolytes in body fluid compartments.
• Briefly describe giving examples, mechanisms involved in movement of
substances across biological barriers.(eg. diffusion simple / facilitated, active
transport, filtration, osmosis, exocytosis and endocytosis)
• Define osmolarity and osmolality, and state the normal plasma osmolality.
• Briefly explain how the plasma osmolality is measured and calculated
• Explain how a difference could occur between measured and calculated
osmolalities.
Thank you..