Question

If a cell becomes damaged and is temporarily unable to produce ATP, what is the likely outcome with respect to H2O?

A) cellular swelling, as water follows Na+ into the cell

B) dehydration, as water diffusion is a passive process

C) no change in water movement, as K+ is exchanged equally for Na+

D) no change in water movement, as the anionic proteins lose their charge and can no longer create a membrane potential

E) dehydration, as water must be pumped in through aquaporins

Answer 1

If a cell is unable to produce ATP, the Na+/K+-ATPase would become inactive, leading to an increase in Na+ inside the cell and resulting in water moving into the cell, causing cellular swelling.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a cell becomes temporarily unable to produce ATP, several complications could arise, particularly relating to water and ion balance. Without ATP, the Na+/K+-ATPase (sodium-potassium pump) on the plasma membrane cannot function, leading to an accumulation of Na+ inside the cell. Given that water follows the movement of Na+ due to osmotic gradients, this increase in intracellular Na+ would result in water flowing into the cell, causing the cell to swell. This is known as cellular swelling.

Osmotic disruption leads to the movement of water from areas of lower solute concentration to areas of higher solute concentration. Considering that without ATP the cell can neither maintain its membrane potential nor perform functions such as pumping ions or excreting wastes, water would uncontrollably move into the cell, eventually leading to bursting or lysis, a process seen in red blood cells when they become swollen with water.

Hence, the likely outcome with respect to H2O is cellular swelling, as option A suggests. So, A) cellular swelling, as water follows Na+ into the cell, is the correct answer.