Publication:
Shear stress-induced improvement of red blood cell deformability

Thumbnail Image

Departments

Organizational Unit

School / College / Institute

Organizational Unit
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Upper Org Unit

Program

KU Authors

Co-Authors

Meiselman, Herbert J.

Publication Date

Language

Embargo Status

NO

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Alternative Title

Abstract

Classically, it is known that red blood cell (RBC) deformability is determined by the geometric and material properties of these cells. Experimental evidence accumulated during the last decade has introduced the concept of active regulation of RBC deformability. This regulation is mainly related to altered associations between membrane skeletal proteins and integral proteins, with the latter serving to anchor the skeleton to the lipid matrix. It has been hypothesized that shear stress induces alterations of RBC deformability: the current study investigated the dynamics of the transient improvement in deformability induced by shear stress at physiologically-relevant levels. RBC were exposed to various levels of shear stress (SS) in a Couette type shearing system that is part of an ektacytometer, thus permitting the changes in RBC deformability during the application of SS to be monitored. Initial studies showed that there is an increase in deformability of the RBC subjected to SS in the range of 5–20 Pa, with kinetics characterized by time constants of a few seconds. Such improvement in deformability, expressed by an elongation index (EI), was faster with higher levels of SS and hence yielded shorter time constants: absolute values of EI increased by 3–8% of the starting level. Upon the removal of the shear stress, this response by RBC was reversible with a slower time course compared to the increase in EI during application of SS. Increased calcium concentration in the RBC suspending medium prevented the improvement of deformability. It is suggested that the improvement of RBC deformability by shear forces may have significant effects on blood flow dynamics, at least in tissues supplied by blood vessels with impaired vasomotor reserve, and may therefore serve as a compensating mechanism for the maintenance of adequate microcirculatory perfusion.

Source

Publisher

IOS Press

Subject

Medicine, Hematology

Citation

Has Part

Source

Biorheology

Book Series Title

Edition

DOI

10.3233/BIR-130637

item.page.datauri

Link

Rights

Copyrights Note

Endorsement

Review

Supplemented By

Referenced By

0

Views

4

Downloads

View PlumX Details