Jet Expulsion of Cellular Contents from Red Cells during Photodynamic Hemolysis

Abstract

When red cells are incubated in the dark in the presence of the dye Rose Bengal and subsequently irradiated with visible light, they hemolyse. Under certain conditions some of the hemoglobin is expelled in the form of a convective jet and appears as a transient cloud beside the cell. Elastic contraction of the membrane is not a sufficient driving force for the jet. A plausible mechanism (an osmotic “pump”) is presented.