A comprehensive model of human erythrocyte metabolism: extensions to include pH effects.

A mathematical model of the human erythrocyte, which accounts both for metabolism of the cell and its interactions with the environment, has been constructed. The pH dependence of enzyme activities is added to a previous model, which accounts for glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide synthesis, membrane transport, osmotic balance, and conditions of electroneutrality. The extended model predicts well the dynamic behavior of the red cell in response to glucose depletion and pH variation.