Membrane Resistance of Human Red Cells

A method has been devised to measure the specific membrane resistance of single human red cells. The cells were sucked into a 3 to 5 micron diameter pore in the end of a glass tube. By passing a small current through the cells, the total cell resistance was measured. The dimensions of the cell were measured optically and the specific membrane resistance was then calculated. Leakage of current between the cell and the walls of the pore was minimized by filling this region with isotonic sucrose. The measured specific membrane resistance values of four human red cells were 6.3, 6.32, 10.0, and 19.7 ohm-cm(2).