Tera Brandt
she/her
Education: Bachelor of Science in animal sciences and industry (May 2018)
Currently pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University
McNair Project: The Effects of Serum Tonicity on Diabetic Canine Red Blood Cells (2016)
Mentor: Thomas Schermerhorn, V.M.D., D.A.C.V.I.M. (S.A.I.M)
Serum tonicity reflects the total osmotic effects of serum constituents and is important for cell volume regulation. Serum hypertonicity, the condition of elevated tonicity, promotes human diabetes but is undefined in canines. Raised serum glucose (hyperglycemia), a feature of diabetes, also causes hypertonicity. We hypothesized that canine red blood cells (cRBCs) in hyperglycemic environments will display different responses than cRBCs in normoglycemic environments when exposed to tonicity changes. RBC responses to hypotonic challenge were assessed using cRBCs incubated for 48-hr in 300mM NaCl containing 100, 300, or 600 mg/dl glucose. RBC fragility was determined spectrophotometrically by measuring hemoglobin released from lysed RBCs. RBC diameter (dRBC) was determined using a electronic cell-counting device. The results show that hyperglycemia (300 or 600 mg/dl glucose) protected cRBCs against lysis. cRBCs maintained in hyperglycemic conditions showed reduced fragility (3.4% vs 3.9% for control), however dRBC was similar (6.27 μm vs 6.30 μm) to control.
McNair Project: Effects of Glucose, Sucrose, and 2-Deoxy-glucose on Volume Regulation Responses of Canine Red Blood Cells (2017)
Mentor: Thomas Schermerhorn, V.M.D., D.A.C.V.I.M. (S.A.I.M)
Serum tonicity reflects the total osmotic effects of serum constituents and is important for cell volume regulation. Serum hypertonicity, the condition of elevated tonicity, promotes human diabetes but is undefined in canines. Raised serum glucose (hyperglycemia), a feature of diabetes, also causes hypertonicity. We hypothesized that canine red blood cells (cRBCs) incubated in glucose, sucrose, or 2-DoG will react differently.
cRBC responses to hypotonic challenge were assessed using cRBCs incubated for 48-hr in 250mM NaCl containing 5.5, 33.3, or 66.6mM glucose, sucrose, or 2-DoG. RBC fragility was determined spectrophotometrically by measuring hemoglobin released from lysed RBCs. RBC diameter (dRBC) was determined using an electronic cell-counting device.
The results show that elevated glucose and sucrose levels (33.3 or 66.6mM) protected cRBCs against lysis. Elevated 2-DoG levels (66.6mM) increased cRBC lysis. Glucose shows effects similar to sucrose, therefore cells most likely adapt to glucose the same as sucrose by exporting fluids.