osmosis (redirected from Endosmose)

osmosis /os·mo·sis/ (oz-mo´sis) (os-mo´sis) the diffusion of pure solvent across a membrane in response to a concentration gradient, usually from a solution of lesser to one of greater solute concentration.osmot´ic

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os·mo·sis (z-mss, s-)

n. pl. os·mo·ses (-sz)

1. Diffusion of fluid through a semipermeable membrane until there is an equal concentration of fluid on both sides of the membrane.

2. The tendency of fluids to diffuse in such a manner.

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os·motic (-mtk) adj.

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osmosis (ozmō´sis),

n the passage of pure solvent from the lesser to the greater concentration when two solutions are separated by a membrane that selectively prevents the passage of solute molecules but is permeable to the solvent. The principles of osmosis and the selective permeability of the cell membrane help to regulate the transfer of fluids and metabolites to and from the cells. Thus, they also maintain the stability of the salt/ion concentration in the extracellular and intracellular fluids.

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osmosis

[Gr.] the passage of pure solvent from a solution of lesser to one of greater solute concentration when the two solutions are separated by a membrane which selectively prevents the passage of solute molecules, but is permeable to the solvent.

The process of osmosis and the factors that influence it are important clinically in the maintenance of adequate body fluids and in the proper balance between volumes of extracellular and intracellular fluids.

The term osmotic pressure refers to the amount of pressure necessary to stop the flow of water across the membrane. The hydrostatic pressure of the water exerts an opposite effect; that is, it exerts pressure in favor of the flow of water across the membrane. The osmotic pressure of the particles in a solute depends on the relative concentrations of the solutions on either side of the membrane, and on the area of the membrane. The osmotic pressure exerted by the nondiffusible particles in a solution is determined by the numbers of particles in a unit of fluid and not by the mass of the particles.

Osmosis. By permission from Guyton R, Hall JE, Textbook of Medical Physiology, Saunders, 2000