A Study of Saponin Hemolysis

1. The hemolytic action of saponin or sapotoxin is, to a certain extent, inhibited in a nonelectrolyte medium. This phenomenon is, perhaps, attributable to the increase of viscosity of the medium, which makes the diffusion of saponin into red blood cells the more difficult.

2. Ions of various salts favor saponin hemolysis even in higher concentration, except (NH₄)₂SO₄, which can alter the red blood cells in higher concentration. BaCl₂ and CaCl₂ are indifferent.

3. The resistance of red blood cells against saponin is different in the different species of animal.

I desire to express my indebtedness to Professor S. Mita for his kind direction and encouragement during my experiments.