Abstract
A ball tnicrorheometer has been developed in this laboratory to measure the rheological properties of very small quantities (20 μl) of sickle red blood cell suspensions The effects of steady deoxygenation at "equilibrium" and time-dependent polymerization on the Theological properties of sickle blood cells resuspended at 25 % hematocrit in their autologous plasma can be measured. Both sickle trait (AS) (these cells have minimal membrane abnormalities and density heterogeneity) and sickle (SS) blood are being used to separate the effects of membrane abnormalities from that of the hemoglobin S polymer. Rheological properties are charactcri/ed as a function of partial pressure in oxygen, oxygen saturation, and amount of polymer fraction. In particular, relationships between cell suspension viscoelastic properties and polymer fraction will he presented and intepreted with respect to the role of abnormal cell membrane and hemoglobin on rheological behavior. This study offers new insight into our understanding and characterization o) the rheological properties of sickle red blood cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | A565 |
| Journal | FASEB Journal |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - 1996 |
| Externally published | Yes |