Final answer:
When a membrane is punctured, it can lead to the lysis of a cell due to the influx of water, particularly if the cell's membrane can't withstand the osmotic pressure. In the context of immune response, the membrane attack complex can cause the lysis of pathogens.
Step-by-step explanation:
Upon puncturing a membrane and creating free edges, the likely outcome is cell lysis or bursting due to osmotic pressure. If the membrane is part of a cell, water can rush into the cell due to osmosis, leading to swelling and eventually bursting. This is especially relevant in the context of how the immune system can attack pathogens. A fragment from C5 can join C6, C7, C8, and C9 to form the membrane attack complex which punctures a hole in the pathogen's plasma membrane.
The result is water influx into the pathogen's hyperosmotic cytoplasm, causing the cell to lyse. In the case of red blood cells, the plasma membrane cannot expand infinitely and will lyse if the internal volume becomes too great due to water entering the cell. Moreover, in the example of gas expansion, a punctured membrane between two chambers would lead to a new equilibrium state where the gas fills both chambers equally.