What happens to red blood cells if they are exposed to a hypertonic environment? Why?

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Like any other living cell, erythrocytes are sensitive to any change in the environment. When the medium turns out to be hypertonic, it means that the concentration of a dissolved substance, usually some salt or organic compound, is higher in it than inside the cell. According to the law of concentration gradient, the water from the red blood cell tends to dilute the increased concentration of a substance from the outside, so the cell actively loses water; the red blood cell shrinks and dries out.

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Academic.Tips. (2023) 'What happens to red blood cells if they are exposed to a hypertonic environment? Why'. 25 March.

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Academic.Tips. (2023, March 25). What happens to red blood cells if they are exposed to a hypertonic environment? Why? https://academic.tips/question/what-happens-to-red-blood-cells-if-they-are-exposed-to-a-hypertonic-environment-why/

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Academic.Tips. 2023. "What happens to red blood cells if they are exposed to a hypertonic environment? Why?" March 25, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/what-happens-to-red-blood-cells-if-they-are-exposed-to-a-hypertonic-environment-why/.

1. Academic.Tips. "What happens to red blood cells if they are exposed to a hypertonic environment? Why?" March 25, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/what-happens-to-red-blood-cells-if-they-are-exposed-to-a-hypertonic-environment-why/.

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Academic.Tips. "What happens to red blood cells if they are exposed to a hypertonic environment? Why?" March 25, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/what-happens-to-red-blood-cells-if-they-are-exposed-to-a-hypertonic-environment-why/.

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"What happens to red blood cells if they are exposed to a hypertonic environment? Why?" Academic.Tips, 25 Mar. 2023, academic.tips/question/what-happens-to-red-blood-cells-if-they-are-exposed-to-a-hypertonic-environment-why/.

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