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Mechanical properties of the human red blood cell membrane at -15°C.

Author(s) : THOM F.

Type of article: Article

Summary

The most common method for measuring the mechanical behaviour of the human red blood cell (RBC) membrane is micropipette aspiration, because it can be used to apply both a low uniaxial stress at a small part of the membrane or high two-axial stresses to the whole membrane. The elastic shear moduli and area changes of the human RBC published to date were calculated by means of this technique. However, a main drawback of the method is its impracticability at subzero temperatures. Experiments at below 0°C are of interest because it is at these temperatures that RBC lysis occurs during freezing and thawing after cryopreservation, via a mechanism that may be mechanical. A method for circumventing this limitation is deforming the cell membranes by applying an electric ac field to a supercooled suspension. In a previous study, the author applied this technique to human RBCs down to -15°C. In this technique, the electrical dimensions must be translated into those of mechanics. He provided a formula for these calculations, which demonstrated excellent concordance with known mechanical measurements at room temperature. Using this formula, the author has now calculated the shear moduli and stress-strain diagram for our deformation experiments at -15°C and present the results below. [Reprinted with permission from Elsevier. Copyright, 2009].

Details

  • Original title: Mechanical properties of the human red blood cell membrane at -15°C.
  • Record ID : 2009-2174
  • Languages: English
  • Source: Cryobiology - vol. 59 - n. 1
  • Publication date: 2009/08
  • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.04.001

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