Bleeding anemia and methemoglobin reduction in dog erythrocytes.

Abstract

Abstract.The rate of methemoglobin reduction in nitrite treated dog red cells were studied in 3 dogs before and after repeated bleedings. When the dogs were bled the methemoglobin reduction rate (MRR) increased to values twice or three times the initial, the maximum rate varying from 18 to 31 per cent per 1 hour. The duration and level of an elevated rate seemed to depend on the amount of blood removed. The long persistence (about 1 month) of an elevated MRR was interpreted as an indication of the dependence of the MRR on the age and life span of the red cell population.