The dynamics of heat production in erythrocytes of the scorpion fish (Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758) in vitro

Abstract

Temperature measurements in a plastic tube isolated from external influences containing an erythrocyte suspension of the scorpion fish (Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758) showed that these red blood cells are able to generate heat. Heat release in the cell suspension was expressed by a linear temperature increase in the tube during the entire experiment. Addition of extracellular ATP (1 mg mL–1) caused the effect of a thermal shift: a sharp temperature rise in the cell suspension for 30–60 s. We believe that the heat release was caused by hydrolysis of extracellular ATP by membrane ecto-ATPase. Inhibition of ecto-ATPase activity through the addition of EDTA (1 mM) to the erythrocyte suspension led to complete blockage of heat release; the effect of the thermal shift ceased. We assume that thermal properties of red blood cells play an important role in blood hemodynamics, especially in providing the “non-Newtonian” properties of blood. The thermal phenomena observed in suspensions of fish erythrocytes open new scientific directions in exploring the capabilities of multifunctional extracellular ATP.