I did hear that there are people gifted with the ability to see ghosts and even communicate with or through them to relay message to humans and also take message from them (humans) to the Spirit in question. This is called mediumship and a person who actively engage in this practice is the Medium. If you are a medium or was one or by any chance you come in contact with one, I need a favour from you.
The occasion is such that I need a medium to relay a message to a great scientist who died in 1936. All you need do as the medium is to stand at attention before him (the late scientist) like a gallant soldier, a sharp salute should follow that, then at the top of your voice scream to him these words “your principle explained it all”.
Nevertheless, who is this man? Or who is this scientist? What was his principle? What are those concepts that this principle could explain? And how does it explains them?
In the school of disease pathogenesis, in the House of Commons for physical Chemistry, also in the bar association of osmoregulation and homeostasis, accolades must be given to the renowned late scientist to whom I want the message delivered, worthy of a General (a rank in the Army) salute, the man called Henry Louis Le Chatelier (1850 – 1936), for his principle could give a solid background understanding of these concepts.
To “every” area of life, science, and society where “balance” is a set target, this monumental principle named after Chatelier can singly explain the present conditions of these elements (life, science, and society).
I began to see the wide applications of this principle in my undergraduate days. With it, I was able to explain the pathogenesis of several diseases taught in the class to my friends.
The Le Chatelier’s Principle (generalised)
When a system (think of any system at all) is in equilibrium (a balanced state), and one of the factors contributing to this state is altered, the system will ideally orchestrate a change or say a reaction to cancel out the effect of the alteration. This is experienced by virtually every system in or that tends to attain equilibrium.
In the study of living organisms, an organism as a system aspiring to remain in a balanced state undergoes this phenomenon whenever there is a “threat” to its equilibrium. However, in biological systems, this principle is termed homeostasis.
Homeostasis and Le Chatelier's Principle
The concept, homeostasis, is an explanation of how biological systems (organisms) maintain an internal balance, a deviation from which will most likely result in a disease condition. The inner components (cytoplasm) of a cell must be in a balanced state, and this must be the case for extracellular fluid components too.
Homeostasis in humans follows the Le Chatelier’s Principle
Once there is an alteration in core temperature, blood glucose, iron levels, copper regulation, levels of blood gases, blood oxygen content, aerial blood pressure, calcium levels, sodium concentration, potassium concentration, fluid balance, blood pH, cerebrospinal fluid, neurotransmission, neuroendocrine system, gene regulation, and energy balance source, our system will naturally cause a reaction to any of such alterations or changes to cancel out its effect and hence, return to a balanced state.
Permit me to take just one of the variables mentioned above to establish Le Chatelier’s Principle in Homeostasis.
Blood Glucose
The level of blood glucose (blood sugar) must be kept within 4.0 and 7.1 mmol/L. Levels below 4.0 mmol/L may lead to a condition called hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and above 7.1 mmol/L is said to be hyperglycaemic (high blood sugar), in which case the patient is said to be diabetic.
However, a “small” change (decrease or increase) in blood sugar level is almost unpreventable. It occurs day-in-day-out, and in almost “every minute” of life. An increase or decrease might occur as a result of physical activities, medication or food. However, there should be a balance in level with respects to current body need and concentration of other blood components.
In response to an increase in blood sugar level (an alteration in one of the factors that should be kept in relative balanced concentration), a shift will occur to neutralise this change, according to Le Chatelier’s Principle. The beta cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin. Presence of insulin in the blood instructs the liver, muscle cells and fat cells to use up more of blood glucose content to energy source, and if energy is not really needed at that time, the liver then gets the order to convert glucose to glycogen in a process called glycogenesis. This response tends to reinstate the balanced nature of blood sugar level relative to its (glucose) need in the body.
A similar reaction is carried out in response to a decrease in blood sugar level but, this time it is the alpha cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. These cells secrete the hormone glucagon whose presence drive the conversion of glycogen stored in the liver to glucose as much as needed to attain sugar balance in the blood.
Now, we can relate the two aspects of the principle (an alteration to one of the variables contributing to equilibrium and a corresponding shift to bring back balance) with homeostasis of blood sugar level.
Pathogenesis and Le Chatelier's Principle
When infection with a pathogen occurs, series of actions and reactions take place at the site of infection. Before we continue, permit me to explain infection and the site of infection. Infection in this context refer to a condition whereby a pathogen that came into our body through any of the portal of entry has obtained an apartment of its own in the human body and established itself there as a landlord. While that particular apartment whether a “self-contain” or a “single room” where the pathogen is established is called the site of infection.
To explain how Le Chatelier’s principle can be applied to understanding the cause of disease conditions following pathogen invasion and colonization, let us look at the pathogenesis of cholera disease.
Cholera
The concentrations of ions in extracellular fluids and the cytoplasm of cells are essential in determining absorption and secretion of water from partly digested semi-fluid food particles coming from the stomach (called chyme). A higher concentration of ions in extracellular fluids relative to intestinal cell’s cytoplasm results in corresponding release of water by the cells and vice versa for relative lower ion concentrations.
Cholera disease is transmitted through the faecal-oral route hence, the portal of entry for Vibrio cholerae (the causative agent of this disease) is the mouth. By “faecal-oral route”, I mean cells of the pathogen are released out of the body together with stool and they get back in together with water or food contaminated with faeces of diseased individual(s). Cells of V. cholerae, upon ingestion find their way to the epithelium of the small intestine which is their site of infection. They must go through the stomach, circumventing antibacterial prowess of bile (cunningly using bile’s repelling activity to their own infectious advantage), evading other antibacterial agents in the lumen (inner part of the small intestine), and penetrating the mucus layer to successfully colonize intestinal epithelium.
In the intestinal epithelium, V. cholerae secretes an enterotoxin (choleragen) which find its way into epithelial cells, stimulating the activity of the enzyme adenylate cyclase which in turn converts Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) to cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP). Cyclic AMP stimulates an excess outflow of chloride ions (Cl-) by opening up a Cl- channel called cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, and also inhibits the absorption of sodium ions (Na+).
This is an alteration to a variable (ion concentrations) involved in a balanced extracellular fluid and cell cytoplasm in the intestinal system.
In order to bring back balance in the concentrations of ion between intestinal cells and extracellular fluids, following an alteration orchestrated by V. cholerae, the cells respond (cause a shift) by directing the release of more sodium ions (positively charged ions) to strike a balance with the excess of negatively charged chloride ions.
At that condition of increased concentration of Cl- and Na+ ions in extracellular chyme, lots of water is released by cells so much that chyme becomes more of fluidized. This is because water move is across concentration gradient (osmosis) to balance concentration on both sides of the cellular membrane.
Too much water in chyme will most likely exceed the water reabsorption capacity of the large intestine in the later part of digestion stages hence, a diarrhoeic (very watery) stool is experienced. This is a deviation from a healthy state and therefore a disease condition. And its occurrence is due to an initial deviation from equilibrium and an attempt to return to former balanced state.
Steemit and Le Chatelier's Principle
The concept of a change in equilibrium variable and a resultant shift to re-attain balance can be seen in every aspect of life (in government, education, and business among others). On this unique social platform, steemit, a balance can be explained as when all old and new posts on the platform are without palgiarism. One of the variables of this balance in terms of posting articles is the originality of the content. A change in the variable, which could be in form of "stolen" content will most likely be met by a negating reaction from curators.
A shift is mediated by flagging the post and reporting the culprit to 
In summary, this article discussed the concept of blood sugar homeostasis where beta and alpha cells of the islets of our pancreas watch out for a change in equilibrium and orchestrate a shift to neutralize this change. Also, this write up tried to look at the pathogenesis of cholera from a standing point of the Le Chatelier’s Principle. And finally, a little touch of the principle in our everyday life particularly on steemit.
References:- Mediumship
- Le Chatelier'S Principle
- Homeostasis
- Colonization of Intestinal Epithelium by V. cholerae
- Prescott, L.M., Harley, J.P. and Klein, D.A. 2013. Prescott’s Microbiology (5th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. pp. 797.
You are a Nigerian, and you write STEM posts, you can also use the #stemng tag.