Preservation of erythrocytes in a desiccated state for storage at ambient temperature could simplify blood transfusions in austere environments, such as rural clinics, far-forward military operations, and during space travel. Currently, storage of erythrocytes is limited by a short shelf-life of 42 days at 4 °C, and long-term preservation requires a complex process that involves the addition and removal of glycerol from erythrocytes before and after storage at -80 °C, respectively. Natural compounds, such as trehalose, can protect cells in a desiccated state if they are present at sufficient levels inside the cell, but mammalian cell membranes lack transporters for this compound. To facilitate compound loading across the plasma membrane via ultrasound and microbubbles (sonoporation), a polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidic device was developed. Delivery of fluorescein into erythrocytes was tested at various conditions to assess the effects of parameters such as ultrasound pressure, ultrasound pulse interval, microbubble dose, and flow rate. Changes in ultrasound pressure and mean flow rate caused statistically significant increases in fluorescein delivery of up to 73 ± 37% (p < 0.05) and 44 ± 33% (p < 0.01), respectively, compared to control groups, but no statistically significant differences were detected with changes in ultrasound pulse intervals. Following freeze-drying and rehydration, recovery of viable erythrocytes increased by up to 128 ± 32% after ultrasound-mediated loading of trehalose compared to control groups (p < 0.05). These results suggest that ultrasound-mediated molecular delivery in microfluidic channels may be a viable approach to process erythrocytes for long-term storage in a desiccated state at ambient temperatures.

中文翻译：

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使用微流体系统将超声诱导的分子递送至红细胞。


在环境温度下以干燥状态保存红细胞可以简化恶劣环境中的输血，例如农村诊所、远期军事行动和太空旅行。目前，红细胞的储存受到4°C下42天的短暂保质期的限制，长期保存需要一个复杂的过程，包括在-80°C储存之前和之后添加和去除红细胞中的甘油，分别。海藻糖等天然化合物如果在细胞内以足够的水平存在，则可以在干燥状态下保护细胞，但哺乳动物细胞膜缺乏该化合物的转运蛋白。为了通过超声波和微泡（声孔法）促进化合物在质膜上的负载，开发了一种基于聚二甲基硅氧烷的微流体装置。在各种条件下测试了荧光素向红细胞的输送，以评估超声压力、超声脉冲间隔、微泡剂量和流速等参数的影响。与对照组相比，超声压力和平均流速的变化导致荧光素输送量显着增加，分别高达 73 ± 37% (p < 0.05) 和 44 ± 33% (p < 0.01)，但没有统计学显着差异通过超声脉冲间隔的变化来检测。冷冻干燥和补液后，与对照组相比，超声介导的海藻糖负载后，活红细胞的回收率增加了 128 ± 32%（p < 0.05）。这些结果表明，微流体通道中超声介导的分子递送可能是处理红细胞以便在环境温度下以干燥状态长期储存的可行方法。