Answer to Question #87208 in Cell Biology for brody shreckengast

Question

would salt water impact the ability of cells to perform cellular respiration?

Answer 1

Salt water contains a high concentration of sodium and choline ions that influence the osmotic pressure and ion strength of the cell-environment interactions. In particular, high ionic strength caused by increased concentration of sodium ions leads to the impairment of the cellular enzymes functioning. High ionic strength may lead to partial protein denaturation and affects enzymatic reactions. On the other hand, if the cell is placed in salt water, due to the changes of osmotic pressure, water will move out from the cell into the solution. It will lead to the equilibration of salt concentrations inside and outside the cell. However, loss of water leads to the alterations of the concentration of cellular ions, enzymes and other bioorganic components that will impair the enzymatic processes. As cellular respiration is controlled by various enzymes, salt water will affect cellular respiration.