Lymphocyte Volume

Value 125 µm^3 Range: ±15 µm^3
Organism Human Homo sapiens
Reference Schmid-Schönbein GW, Shih YY, Chien S. Morphometry of human leukocytes. Blood. 1980 Nov56(5):866-75. p.872 fig.8bPubMed ID6775712
Method Transmission Electron Microscope
Comments Value extracted visually from fig.8b which shows lymphocyte volume "as a function of the NaCl solution osmolality in which the cells were fixed." "Figure 8 shows the average volumes of cell and nucleus, the ratio of nuclear and cell volumes, the average membrane areas and fractional excess membrane areas (s) of the cell, and the nucleus as a function of the solution osmolality for (A) neutrophils, (B) lymphocytes, and (C) monocytes." Value is based on cells in 300 mosmole isotonic media. This volume measurement is based on the mean value of more than 220 sections, with the vertical bar on the Figure 8 graph indicating the measurement error. This 125µm^3 value correlates well with other diameter-based measurements (Confer Downey, 1990, BNID 111438). It is about half the value of indirect Coulter Counter impedance based measurements, which are questioned in Downey, 1990, for this particular type of cell (lymphocytes). Regarding the heavily folded membrane of a lymphocyte: "[Investigators’] results indicate that the membrane areas of the WBCs [white blood cells] and nuclei (Fig. 8), … remain essentially constant during swelling. In an isotonic medium, the average excess membrane areas for the cells and for the nuclei (Fig. 8) are, …130% and 32% for the lymphocytes, ..."
Entered by jashander
ID 111439