chloride cells

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chloride cells Cells located in the gills of teleosts which pump sodium and chloride ions out into the sea against a concentration gradient. To reduce osmotic dehydration due to hyposmotic body fluid, teleosts drink large quantities of sea water, absorbing in the gut sodium and chloride ions which serve to raise the osmotic pressure in the blood and cause water to flow in from the gut. Subsequently the excess of ions absorbed are pumped out of the body via the chloride cells.