Chloride roles in extracellular fluid

Chloride is the most plentiful extracellular electrolyte, with an extracellular concentration 26 times that of its intracellular concentration.

Although chloride is generally considered with sodium, with it functions in maintenance of extracellular fluid pH balance and osmolarity, the chloride ion also functions as activator for amylases and obviously is essential for the formation of gastric hydrochloric acid.

During digestion some of the chloride of the blood is used for the formation of hydrochloric acid in the gastric glands and is secreted into the stomach where is functions temporarily with the gastric enzymes and is then reabsorbed onto the blood stream with other nutrients.

Chloride is one of the major extracellular anions that helps maintain electrical neutrality with sodium. It is interesting that although chloride is generally transported across biological membranes by passive diffusion, in gastric and intestinal mucosa the chloride ion is actively transported.

Chloride ions are able to diffuse easily across plasma membranes, and their transport is linked closely to sodium movement, which also explains the indirect role of aldosterone in chloride regulation.
Chloride roles in extracellular fluid

Functions of Chloride in human body

When chlorine reacts with sodium or hydrogen, however, it forms the negative chloride ion. Chloride an essential nutrient is required in the diet.

It is widely distributed in all plant foods. But most important source of chloride in the diet is common table salt i.e. sodium chloride.

Chloride moves passively across membranes through channels and so also associates with potassium inside cells. Like sodium and potassium, chloride maintains fluid and electrolyte balance.

Chloride is a key element in the hydrochloric acid secreted in gastric juice. The action of gastric enzymes requires the proper acidity level of stomach fluids.

Large amounts of chloride are found in the extracellular fluid but some amount is also found in the red blood cells and to a lesser degree in other cells.

Chloride ions help red blood cells transport large amounts of carbon dioxide to the lungs for release in breathing. The chloride ions move easily in and out of red blood cells in balance with the carbon dioxide to counteract any potential changes in the acid-base balance. This movement of chloride on and out of red blood cells is called the ‘chloride’ shift.

Severe deficiency of chloride occurs in cases of excessive vomiting and diarrhea when large amounts of chloride is lost resulting in alkalosis due to replacement of chloride with bicarbonate.
Functions of Chloride in human body

Electrolytes in the Human Body

Electrolytes are solutes that contain a charge in aqueous solutions. Most acids, bases and salts are soluble in water are electrolytes.

Electrolytes are negatively or positively charged ion. Although many substances in the body are electrolytes, in nutrition and in sports drinks, the term electrolytes refers to the three principal electrolytes in body fluids: sodium, potassium and chloride.

These are electrolytes are among the most commonly monitored electrolytes in clinical practice.

These electrolytes are important in maintaining fluid balance and allowing nerve impulses to travel throughout out bodies, signaling the activities that are essential for life.

Sodium and potassium carry a positive charge, and chloride carries a negative charge.

The concentration of sodium, potassium and chloride inside a cell differ dramatically from those outside the cell.

An electrolyte is stored either intracellular or extracellular.

Potassium is the principal positively charged intracellular ion, sodium is the most abundant positively charged extracellular and chloride is the principal negatively charged extracellular ion.

Fluid move though the body continuously. The heart pumps the blood, pressure is extend on the vessels from outside the body, and muscles relax and contract to help move the fluid through the vascular system. Fluid moves into and out of the cells and the extracellular spaces by osmotic pressure.

Osmotic pressure is determined by the concentration of the electrolytes and other solutes in water.

The greater the difference in charge between two regions, the greater is potential for ions to move to their oppositely charged regions.
Electrolytes in the Human Body

Major Constituent of Milk

Major Constituent of Milk
The major portion of ash is composed of the chlorides and oxides of potassium, calcium and phosphorus.

It is of interest to note that these three elements are in greater concentration in milk than in blood, thus the mammary gland exerts a selective action to concentrate these elements.

Too, a fact frequently overlooked is the greater weight percentage of the potassium over that of calcium.

This kind of information can be used to detect injured udders because in the injured udder the composition of the milk becomes more like that of the blood.

The changes in chloride content and in acidity are easily measured.

Milk from cows suffering from mastitis contains a higher sodium and chloride content than normal milk.

Chloride content in milk in excess of 0.14% suggests the possibility of mastitis milk.

All cases of toward the end of lactation and colostrums secreted at the beginning of lactation contain more sodium and chloride than normal milk.

Small variations in the concentrations of Ca and Mg relative to the concentrations of citrate and phosphate are known to affect the ability of milk to resist coagulation when heated.

The ration between the different components seems to be more important that the actual amounts present.

The term salt balance is used to refer to the ratio of these components.

In general, the most common manifestation of a disturbed salt balance is a deficiency of citrate and phosphate ions (particularly when cows are off pasture), which would suggest that in such circumstances addition of sodium citrate or phosphate would correct the balance through its sequestering effect on calcium ions and render the milk heat stable.

Milk contains more calcium that most foods because of the distribution of calcium in milk.

About two thirds of the total calcium in milk is in colloidal form as calcium caseinate, citrate and phosphate; the remaining third is in true solution.

Only because of these phenomena is it possible for milk to have an osmotic pressure equal to that of the blood.

When milk is heated or pasteurized, the equilibrium between the colloidal and soluble phrases is altered in the direction of the colloidal phase.

In cheese making, this change in the ration between of soluble and colloidal calcium is an important factor in the time taken by rennet to coagulate the milk.
Major Constituent of Milk