Effect of Mild Hydrostatic Pressure on Red Blood Cells.
Abstract
We studied the effect of physiological levels of hydrostatic pressure, such as that applied in diving or hyperbaric treatment, on (1) flow (rheological) properties and (2) membrane fluidity and morphology of red blood cells (RBC). It was found that application of such pressure (1) Enhances the aggregability of RBC (studied by a computerized image analysis which was developed for this purpose), and higher than normal flow rate was required to disperse the cells. (2) Reduces RBC membrane fluidity (studied by fluorescence anisotropy of lipid probes and tryptophan), and changes the cell morphology (studied by scanning electron microscopy) from normal discocytes to stomatocytes. Physical and rheological properties of RBO, as well as their shape, play a major role in blood flow and in their cellular-biochemical functions. Thus, the alterations in RBC reported here may be pertinent to the microcirculatory and physiological distorters observed among humans subjected to elevated pressure.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 26, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA290520
Entities
People
- Saul Yedgar
Organizations
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem