Question

Whaat is the mening of Osmorecptors,Osmolarity

Answer 1

Osmolarity is simply a measure of solute concentration. If there is a difference in osmolarity on each side of a semipermeable membrane (such as the cell membrane which is permeable to water but not most proteins) a pure solvent is prone to move through the semi-permeable membrane and into the solution containing the solute to which the membrane is impermeable to. And example of this is if you place a human epithelial cell in pure water, the water will flow into the cell (and it will become blown up like a water-balloon and maybe even burst) since the cell is full of proteins and other macromolecules that can not escape the cell. Osmoregulation is of great importance for most forms of life since it is a way to regulate the concentration of all solutes within the cell. And chemical reactions vital for the cells have a dependancy on concentration. Osmoreceptors are receptors that somehow sense osmotic changes and mediate some sort of signal/action for the cell/organism in response to these changes. How exactly the osmoreceptors work differ between type of tissue and type of organism.

Answer 2

Thnks but what r "osmotic changes " ?

Answer 3

also can i get the meaning of the prefix "osmo"

Answer 4

Osmotic changes are simply changes in the osmolarity. As an example, if you have a human cell in normal growth medium, then add lots of salt to the growth medium, the solute (water) would want to equalize it's concentration on both sides of the semipermeable membrane (the cell membrane). And, as the relative concentration of the solute has decreased on the side where you added salt this would lead to water moving out of the cell and into the growth medium. This would probably make the cell deflate and shrivel up to something that looks like a rasin.

The "osmo" prefix simply means it is related to osmosis, I dont know if it actually means something in latin.