Blood Buffering and Acid-Base Balance

Term 1: What is Homeostasis?
Definition 1: The maintenance of a steady internal physical and chemical environment by living systems, crucial for optimal biochemical reactions and a stable cellular environment, achieved through various regulatory mechanisms.
Term 2: What are the two primary compartments of body fluids?
Definition 2: Intracellular Fluid (ICF), located inside cells and comprising about two-thirds of body water, is essential for cellular processes. Extracellular Fluid (ECF), situated outside cells, includes plasma, interstitial fluid, and other minor fluids that facilitate nutrient transport and waste removal.
Term 3: What percentage of body weight does total body water average in adults?
Definition 3: Approximately 60%, but this can vary based on factors such as age, sex, muscle mass, and hydration levels, influencing overall physiological functions.
Term 4: What are Electrolytes?
Definition 4: Minerals carrying an electric charge found in blood, urine, tissues, and other body fluids. They are critical for balancing water levels, maintaining acid-base balance, facilitating nerve and muscle function, and participating in various biochemical processes essential for life.
Term 5: What is the normal blood pH range?
Definition 5: 7.35 to 7.45, which is crucial for optimal physiological functions, cell metabolism, and enzyme activity and is maintained by multiple buffering systems, respiratory regulation, and renal mechanisms.
Term 6: Define Acidosis
Definition 6: A condition characterized by increased acidity in blood and bodily tissues due to an elevated concentration of hydrogen ions (pH less than 7.35), often resulting from metabolic or respiratory disturbances.
Term 7: Define Alkalosis
Definition 7: A condition defined by an excess of base in body fluids, leading to a reduction in hydrogen ion concentration and an increase in blood pH (pH greater than 7.45), frequently caused by excessive bicarbonate or loss of acid.
Term 8: What is Aerobic Respiration?
Definition 8: A metabolic process that converts glucose into energy in the presence of oxygen, producing ATP, water, and carbon dioxide. It involves glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain to maximize energy production.
Term 9: What is Anaerobic Respiration?
Definition 9: A metabolic process of generating energy from glucose without oxygen, producing less ATP and resulting in end products like lactic acid or ethanol, which can lead to metabolic acidosis under certain conditions.
Term 10: What three primary systems regulate blood pH?
Definition 10: Buffer systems act immediately, respiratory regulation via the lungs controls carbon dioxide levels, and renal regulation by the kidneys excreting acids and bases to maintain the balance and stability of blood pH.
Term 11: What do buffers consist of?
Definition 11: A weak acid and its conjugate base that together resist changes in pH by neutralizing added acids or bases, helping to maintain a stable pH environment within physiological systems.
Term 12: Name the major buffer systems in the body
Definition 12: Bicarbonate-carbonic acid buffer system in the extracellular fluid (ECF), Hemoglobin buffer system in red blood cells (RBC), Phosphate buffer system in all cells, and Protein buffer system in cells and plasma each playing a distinct role in different body compartments to ensure overall pH stability.
Term 13: What is the equation for the Bicarbonate Buffer System?
Definition 13: Carbon dioxide plus water is in equilibrium with carbonic acid, which is in equilibrium with bicarbonate ion plus hydrogen ion. This illustrates the dynamic relationship between these components in maintaining blood pH, catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase which speeds up the reaction.
Term 14: Define the Bohr Effect
Definition 14: The phenomenon where the binding of protons to hemoglobin reduces its affinity for oxygen, promoting oxygen release in tissues with high metabolic activity and low pH, ensuring adequate oxygen supply to active tissues.
Term 15: What does a left-shift indicate on the Oxygen-Hemoglobin Dissociation Curve?
Definition 15: Increased affinity for oxygen, indicating conditions such as decreased partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), decreased temperature, decreased 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), decreased hydrogen ion concentration ([H+]), and the presence of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), which enhance oxygen binding to hemoglobin.
Term 16: What does a right shift indicate on the Oxygen-Hemoglobin Dissociation Curve
Definition 16: Decreased affinity for oxygen, indicating conditions such as increased partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), increased temperature, increased