COURSE CODE: 103

Ms. Saira Iqbal

SEMESTER:01 (Fall 2019)
Lec - 03
REFERENCE TEXT:
Lippincott’s Illustrated Review of Biochemistry by
Pamela C. Champe and Richard A. Harvey
 RECALL:

• Structure of water
• Properties of water
• Difference between hydrophilic and hydrophobic
• What is amphipathic compounds?
• Difference between acids and bases
• Strong acids and bases
• Handerson equation of acids and bases
 BODY BUFFERS &
MECHANISM 0F ACTION
 OUTLINES:
• What is buffer?
• Mechanism of buffer action
• Body fluid compartments
• Difference between ECF and ICF
• Mechanism of pH control
• Different types of body buffer systems
• Mechanism actions of buffer systems
• Homeostasis
 BUFFER

A solution of weak acid and its conjugate base which resists a

change in pH when small quantities of an acid or base are
added. (control of pH)
 Example

• pH range of proteins in blood= 7.35-7.45, if

this range gets change, proteins start to
denature and cannot perform the function it is
intended to do e.g to carry O2 and CO2.
• Usually the body maintains the pH of blood
close to 7.40.
 BODY FLUIDS
• Body fluid or bio fluids are liquids
originating from inside the bodies of living
people

• They include fluids that are excreted or

secreted from the body.

• Total amount of fluid in the human body is

approximately 70% of the total body weight.
Body Fluid Compartments
 Example
• An obese man of 100 kg having probably about 40%
fat and only about 44% water.
• This difference is explained by the amount of water
it contains in adipose tissues and muscular tissues.
• Adipose tissue= 10% water

• Muscle tissue = about 75% water

• More fat= likely to have less water

 BODY FLUID COMPARTMENTS
• Body fluid has been divided into two
compartments –

– Intracellular fluid (ICF)

• Inside the cells
• 55% of total body water

– Extracellular fluid (ECF)

• Outside the cells
• 45% of total body water
 BARRIERS SEPARATE ICF,
INTERSTITIAL FLUID AND PLASMA

• Plasma membrane
• Separates ICF from surrounding interstitial fluid

• Blood vessel wall

• Separate interstitial fluid from plasma
 Intracellular Compartment

• Intracellular compartment is not a single

compartment, it may be 75 trillion different
cells or individual cells in the body.

• Water is contained within the body cells (28L).

 Extracellular compartment
• It is the compartment outside the cell.

1. Intravascular= Inside the blood vessels(heart

chambers, arteries, veins, capillaries). e.g: 70kg a fit
men contains 5L Blood and 3L water.

2. Interstitial = Capillaries going through tissues,

capillaries going through a group of cell, in between
cells and tissues and in between capillaries and cells .
It contains tissue fluid (about 11L )
 Transcellular (sub-division of extracellular)

It is the fluid in the body compartments.

• Lymph= Lymphatic system
• Pleural= Fluid between two pleural membranes that
covers the lungs and lines the chest cavity.
• Peritoneal= Abdominal cavity.
• synovial= Fluid between cavities of synovial joints.
• Pericardial= Sacs around the heart.
• Cerebrospinal fluid= From ventricles of brain to
cerebrum and spinal cord.
• intraocular= Chambers in the eyes.
• G.I Lumen= Gastrointestinal track
COMPOSITION OF BODY FLUIDS

• Organic  Inorganic substances

substances  Sodium

• Glucose
 Potassium
 Calcium
• Amino acids
 Magnesium
• Fatty acids
 Chloride
• Hormones  Phosphate

• Enzymes  Sulphate
SODIUM Na+ POTASSIUM K+

– Most abundant cation in – Most abundant cation in ICF

ECF – Establish resting membrane

– 90% of extracellular potential in neurons and

cations muscle fibers.

– Plays crucial role in fluid – Maintains normal ICF fluid

and electrolyte balance volume

as it accounts for half of – Helps regulate pH of body

the osmolarity of ECF fluids when exchanged for H+

CHLORIDE Cl- BICARBONATE HCO3-

– Most prevalent anion in ECF – Second most prevalent

– Moves easily between ECF extracellular anion

– Concentration increases in
and ICF because most
blood passing through systemic
plasma membranes contain
capillaries picking up carbon
Cl- leakage channels and
dioxide
transporters
– Chloride shift helps maintain

– Can help balance levels of correct balance of anions in

anions in different fluids ECF and ICF

 MAGNESIUM

– Mg2+ in ICF (45%) or ECF (1%)

– Second most common intracellular cation

– Cofactor for certain enzymes and sodium-potassium

pump

– Essential for synaptic transmission, normal

neuromuscular activity and myocardial function

 FLUID BALANCE

– Fluid is in a balance when the amount of water gained

(e.g. through the digestive system) each day equals
the amount of fluid lost (e.g. through urinary system,
sweat glands) each day
 ELECTROLYTE BALANCE

• Electrolyte balance

– The ion gain each day equals the ion loss

– Electrolytes are ions released through the dissociation

of inorganic compounds
 ACID- BASE BALANCE
– The body's balance between acidity and alkalinity is referred
to as acid-base balance.

– When acid–base balance exists, the pH of body fluids

remains within normal limits (7.35-7.45).

– No receptors directly monitor fluid or electrolyte balance.

– A doctor evaluates a person's acid-base balance by measuring

the pH and levels of carbon dioxide (an acid) and bicarbonate
(a base) in the blood.
 ACID-BASE REGULATION

– The body uses different mechanisms to control the blood's

acid-base balance:

– Buffer system
– Respiratory regulation (lungs)

– Renal regulation (kidneys)

 WHY TO REGULATE

• To maintain homeostasis

• Regulates enzymatic functions

 WHAT IS HOMEOSTASIS?

• Homoios  Similar
• Stasis  Standing still

• It is a property of a system in which variables are

regulated so that internal condition of the system remain

stable and relatively constant.

 THE IMPORTANCE OF PH CONTROL

• The pH of the body fluids remains between 7.35 and 7.45

– If the blood is too much acidic resulting in a decrease in blood pH (fall

below 7.35 (acidemia), acidosis results.

– If the blood is too much basic resulting in an increase in blood pH (rise

above 7.45 (alkalemia), alkalosis results.

– Alteration outside these boundaries affects all body systems e.g.

can result in coma, cardiac failure, and circulatory collapse

 COMMON ACIDS
• Carbonic acid is most important factor affecting pH of ECF
– CO2 reacts with water to form carbonic acid
– Inverse relationship between pH and concentration of CO2
 MECHANISMS OF pH
CONTROL
• Buffer system consists of a weak acid and its anion

• Three major buffering systems:

– Protein buffer system
• Amino acid

– Carbonic acid-bicarbonate
• Buffers changes caused by organic and fixed acids

o Phosphate –Buffer pH in the ICF

 PROTEIN BUFFER SYSTEM

• Proteins are made up of amino acids

• Amino acids have a central carbon with four

groups off of it:
1. carboxyl group (COOH)
2. amino group (NH2)
3. hydrogen atom
4. R group
. 
 Contd...

• Acidic medium – becomes COOH

• Basic medium – becomes COO.

 Contd...
• If pH climbs, the carboxyl group of amino acid acts as a
weak acid
• If the pH drops, the amino group acts as a weak base
 PHOSPHATE BUFFER SYSTEM
• Main elements of phosphate buffer system-
- H2PO4, and HPO4

• Phosphoric acid changes pretty quickly into

dihydrogen phosphate, or H2PO4-.  
H3PO4 ⇌ H2PO−4 + H+

• This dihydrogen phosphate is an efficient buffer.

 Contd….
• Phosphate buffer system in the ECF is low compared to
the bicarbonate buffer.

• Its buffering power is less compared to the bicarbonate

buffer.

• It has its importance in the renal tubules of kidneys.

• Conc. of phosphate is more in ICF compared to ECF.

 Carbonic Acid-Bicarbonate
Buffering System
• Weak acid – H2CO3
• Bicarbonate salt (NaHCO3)

Strong acid is added

– When HCL is added hydrogen conc. increases

– CO2 + H2O  H2CO3  H + HCO3

 Contd…
 Strong base is added

– H+ conc. Reduces

NaOH + H2CO3 NaHCO3+H2O

–In this way CO2 conc. Decreases

 LIMITATIONS:
• Has the following limitations:
– Cannot protect the ECF from pH changes due to
increased or decreased CO2 levels

– Only functions when respiratory system and control

centers are working normally
– It is limited by availability of bicarbonate ions.
 MAINTENANCE OF ACID-BASE
BALANCE
• Lungs help in the regulation of pH through carbonic acid -
bicarbonate buffer system

– Changing respiratory rates changes PCO2

• Respiratory compensation

• Kidneys help in the regulation of pH through renal

compensation
The Central Role of the Carbonic
Acid-Bicarbonate Buffer System
in the Regulation of Plasma pH
 BUFFFERING POWER OF RENAL
SYSTEM

• The kidneys work in elimination of

hydrogen ion conc. and control imbalance.

• Its capacity is 1-2 times as much as other

chemical buffers.
 Contd…
– Maintaining alkali reserves
– Excreting / reabsorbing acid/base.
• Excretion of hydrogen ions
• Reabsorption of bicarbonate ion
• Excretion of ammonium ions
 Question 1:
 The concentration of Mg2+ in ICF and ECF is:

a) 35% and 45%

b) 25% and 1%
c) 45% and 1%
d) 20% and 2%
 Question 1:
 The concentration of Mg2+ in ICF and ECF is:

a) 35% and 45%

b) 25% and 1%
c) 45% and 1%
d) 20% and 2%
 Question 2:
• Lungs help regulate pH through:

a) Carbonic acid - bicarbonate buffer system

b) Protein buffer system
c) Phosphate buffer system
d) Both a & b
 Question 2:
• Lungs help regulate pH through:

a) Carbonic acid - bicarbonate buffer system

b) Protein buffer system
c) Phosphate buffer system
d) Both a & b
 Question 3:
• On which following basis you can differentiate ICF
from ECF:

a) muscle contraction
b) Resting membrane potential
c) Impulse transmission
d) fluid and electrolyte balance
 Question 3:
• On which following basis you can differentiate ICF
from ECF:

a) muscle contraction
b) Resting membrane potential
c) Impulse transmission
d) fluid and electrolyte balance
 Question 4:
• Homoios means:

a) Similar
b) Non-similar
c) Standing still
d) Parallel
 Question 4:
• Homoios means:

a) Similar
b) Non-similar
c) Standing still
d) Parallel
THANK YOU