Body fluid – Human Anatomy and Physiology B. Pharma 1st Semester

Body fluid

Objectives

At the end of this
lecture student will be able to

• Classify body fluid compartments

• Explain composition of body fluid

• Functions of different ions present in the body fluid

• Understand the importance of water balance in the body

• Enlist signs and symptoms associated with fluid loss

• Explain Treatment techniques for dehydration and water
intoxication

• Enumerate different body fluid and their function

• Explain the physiological role of body fluids

Contents

• Body Fluids

• Body Fluid Compartments

• Composition of body fluids

• Concentration and tonicity of body fluids

• Applied Physiology of body fluid

• Specialized Fluids of the Body and functions

Body Fluids

• Total amount of fluid in the human body is approximately
70% of body weight

• Body fluid has been divided into two compartments –

– Intracellular fluid (ICF)

• Inside the cells

• 55% of total body water

– Extracellular fluid

• Outside the cells

• 45% of total body water

Body Fluid
Compartments

Homeostasis

Body Fluid Compartments

Extracellular fluid has 5 subunits

• Interstitial fluid: Present between the cells (App. 80% of
ECF)

• Plasma: Present in blood (app– 20% of ECF)

• Fluid in bones

• Fluid in dense connective tissue: Cartilage

• Transcellular fluid

» Intraocular fluid 

» Digestive juices

» Fluid in urinary tract

» cerebrospinal fluid

» Synovial fluid in joints

» Serous fluid

Composition
of body fluids

Composition

•   Most abundant cation
– Na+,

– Muscle contraction

– Impulse transmission

– Fluid and electrolyte balance

– Regulation of pH

•   Most abundant
cation – K+

– Resting membrane potential

– Action potentials

– Maintains intracellular volume

•   Most abundant
anion – Cl-               

– Regulates osmotic pressure

– Forms HCl in gastric acid

• Anion are proteins and phosphates (HPO42-)

• Na+ /K+ pumps play major role in keeping K+ high inside
cells and Na+ high outside cell

Measurement
of body fluid volume

• Indicator dilution method or Dye dilution method

• Principle: A known quantity of marker substances or
indicators such as a dye is administered into a specific body fluid
compartment.

V = M – E / C

V = Volume of fluid in the compartment.

M = Mass or total quantity of marker substance injected.

E = Amount of dye excreted or lost from the body

C = Concentration of the marker substance in the sample
fluid

Criteria
for a suitable dye

• Must mix evenly throughout the compartment

• Non toxic

• Must have no effect of its own on the distribution of
water

• Either it must be unchanged during the experiment or if it
changes, the amount changed must be known.

• The material should be relatively easy to measure.

Biomarkers
used for various fluids compartment

Concentration
of body fluids

Concentration of body fluids is expressed in three ways:

1. Osmolality: Measure of a fluid’s capability to create
osmotic pressure is called osmolality or osmotic (osmolar) concentration of a
solution (osmoles/Kg)

2. Osmolarity:  Osmolarity
is another term to express the osmotic concentration. It is the number of
particles (osmoles) per liter of solution (osmoles/L)

3. Tonicity: is the measure of effective osmolality

Tonicity of
solutions

According to the concentration of the solute (osmoles)
present in the solution they can be classified as

1. Isotonic solution: has the same effective osmolality
(tonicity) as body fluids

2. Hypotonic solution: has greater effective osmolality than
the body fluids

3. Hypertonic solution: has less effective osmolality than
the body fluids

Significance
of body fluids

• Homeostasis:
Body cells survive in the fluid medium called internal environment or ‘milieu
interior’. Water not only forms the major constituent of internal environment
but also plays an important role in homeostasis

• Transport mechanism:
Body water forms the transport medium by which nutrients and other essential
substances enter the cells; and unwanted substances come out of the cells

• Metabolic reactions:
Water inside the cells forms the medium for various metabolic reactions, which
are necessary for growth and functional activities of the cells

• Texture of tissues:
Water inside the cell ensures cells texture

• Temperature regulation:
Water present inside the cell plays vital role in maintaining normal body
temperature

Applied
Physiology Maintenance of water balance

DEHYDRATION

• Mild dehydration – Loss of 5% total body fluid

• Moderate dehydration – loss of 10% total body fluid

• Severe dehydration – loss of 15% total body fluid

Dehydration based on
water and sodium ratio

• Isotonic dehydration

• Hypertonic dehydration

• Hypotonic dehydration

Causes

•   Severe diarrhoea
and vomiting due to gastrointestinal disorders

• Excess urinary output due to renal disorders, insufficient
intake of water

• Endocrine disorders such as diabetes mellitus, diabetes
insipidus and adrenal insufficiency

• Prolonged physical activity without consuming adequate
amount of water in hot environment

• Excess sweating leading to heat frustration

• Use of laxatives or diuretics in order to lose weight
quickly

Signs and Symptoms

Treatment of
dehydration

• Treatment depends upon the severity of dehydration

• Mild to moderate dehydration can be reversed by drinking water
and other fluids

• Incase of severe dehydration ORT is preferred to
compensate salt loss along with water

• ORT involves oral administration of ORS formulated by WHO

• Incase of very severe dehydration IV route of
administration is preferred

Water
intoxication or over hydration 

Condition
characterized by great increase in the water content of the body

• Heart failure

• Renal disorders

• Hypersecretion of antidiuretic hormone – syndrome of
inappropriate hypersecretion of antidiuretic hormone

• Intravenous administration of unduly large amount of
medications and fluids than the person’s body can excrete

• Swimmers

Signs and Symptoms

• Nausea, Vomitting, Blurred vision

• Anemia, acidosis, hemorrhage, shock

• Behvarioal changes – delirium, seizure, confusion, coma

• Muscular symptoms – cramps, twitching, paralysis

Treatment

• Mild water intoxication requires only fluid restriction

• In very severe cases, the treatment includes:

1. Diuretics to increase water loss through urine

2. Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) receptor antagonists to
prevent ADH-induced reabsorption of water from renal tubules

3. Intravenous administration of saline to restore sodium.

Specialized
Fluids of the Body

• Lymph

• Milk

• Cerebrospinal fluid

• Amniotic fluid

• Aqueous humor

• Sweat

• Tears

Functions of Lymph

 •
Return protein from tissue spaces into blood

• Redistribution of fluid

• Removal of bacteria, toxins and other foreign bodies from
tissues

 • Maintain structural
and functional integrity of tissue

• Route for intestinal fat absorption

• Transport lymphocytes

Functions of Milk

• Milk sugar provides galactose, a structural unit for
growing infant.

• In intestine, it gets metabolized to lactic acid which
eliminates harmful bacteria.

• Source of protein, mineral and vitamins

Functions of CSF

•Hydrolic shock absorber

• Regulation of intracranial pressure

• Influences the hunger sensation and eating behaviours

Functions of Amniotic
Fluid

• Liquid produced by membranes and fetus

• Volume of fluid increases with gestational age

• Physical protection to the fetus

• Medium for exchange of various chemical

Aqueous Humor

• Fluid that fills the interior chamber of eye

• Secreted by ciliary body, enters anterior chamber

• Blockade in the flow of aqueous humor causes glaucoma due
to increased intraocular pressure.

• Posterior chamber of eye is filled with vitrous humor
which contains a gel (vitrous body of hyaluronic acid secreted by retina)

Sweat

• Secretion of sweat gland

 • Regulates body
temperature by cooling and evaporation

• Sweat glands controlled by ANS, Adrenal cortical steroid –
which affect the quantity of electrolyte present

Tears

• Produced by lachrymal glands

• Isotonic but becomes hypertonic due to evaporation as
fluid passes over the cornea

• Lysozyme – lyses the cells of a number of micro-organisms
by breaking down the polysaccharides of their outer layer

Functions of Tears

• Lysozyme protects eye from infectious agents

• Lubricate the surface of the cornea

• Fill the irregularities of the corneal surface to improve
optical properties

• Protects eyes from injury

Summary

• Body fluids can be:
Extracellular and Intracellular

• Composed of:
Organic and inorganic substances

• Body fluids:
Measured by using various bio markers

• Concentration (Osmolality, Osmolarity) and Tonicity (Iso,Hyper,Hypotonic)
of body fluids play a vital role in homeostasis

• Maintenance of water balance in the body is very essential

• Dehydration treatment depends on the severity

• Mild water intoxication can be treated with water
retriction

• Various specific functions are carried out by specialized
fluids