Red Cell Stroma in Dogs

Abstract Red cell stroma has not been prepared free of iron and/or hemoglobin. It is not certain whether the iron is a contaminant or an essential constituent of the stroma. Extensive washing does not eliminate iron from the stroma but does cause loss of the stroma constituents, protein and lipid. Red cell stroma protein is increased in anemia due to blood loss in the dog, on the average in severe anemia, almost twice the figures recorded in the pooled normal samples of red cell stroma. Lipid fractions under the same conditions show minor fluctuations: approximately 90 per cent of total lipids in the red cells are recovered in the stroma by these methods. The technic for isolation and fractionation of dog erythrocyte stroma is described. Analyses made from the same blood sample by 3 different workers give comparable results. Red cell stroma deserves careful study in controlled experimental conditions.