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Simultaneous Determination of Human Erythrocyte Deformability and Adhesion Energy: A Novel Approach Using a Microfluidic Chamber and the “Glass Effect”

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Abstract

The simultaneous determination of adhesion and deformability parameters of erythrocytes was carried out through a microfluidic device, which uses an inverted optical microscope with new image acquisition and analysis technologies. Also, an update of the models describing erythrocyte adhesion and deformation was proposed. Measurements were carried out with red blood cells suspended in saline solution with human serum albumin at different concentrations. Erythrocytes adhered to a glass surface were subjected to different low shear stress (from 0.04 to 0.25 Pa), causing cellular deformation and dissociation. The maximum value obtained of the erythrocyte deformability index was 0.3, and that of the adhesion energy per unit area was 1.1 × 10−6 Pa m, both according to previous works. The obtained images of RBCs adhered to glass reveal that the adhesion is stronger in a single point of the cell, suggesting a ligand migration that concentrates the adhesion in a “spike-like tip” in the cell. Moreover, adhesion energy results indicate that the energy required to separate erythrocytes in media with a lower albumin concentration is greater. Both results could be explained by the mobility of membrane receptors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Mabel D’Arrigo for performing the blood draws and Dr. Analía I. Alet and the staff from the English Department of the Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas (UNR) for the language correction of the manuscript. C.M.L. would also like to thank the “Nuevo Banco de Santa Fe” for the Technological Innovation Scholarship received to carry out a previous optimization and validation of the microfluidic chamber used in this work.

Funding

This study was funded by the National University of Rosario.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Área Física, Facultad de Cs Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas (UNR), Suipacha 531, 20000, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Carolina M. Londero & Bibiana D. Riquelme

  2. Instituto de Física Rosario (CONICET, UNR), Bv. 27 de febrero 210 bis, 20000, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Carolina M. Londero & Bibiana D. Riquelme

  3. Facultad de Cs Exactas, Ingeniería y Agrimensura (UNR), Pellegrini 250, 20000, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Carolina M. Londero

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  1. Carolina M. Londero
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Correspondence to Bibiana D. Riquelme.

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Londero, C.M., Riquelme, B.D. Simultaneous Determination of Human Erythrocyte Deformability and Adhesion Energy: A Novel Approach Using a Microfluidic Chamber and the “Glass Effect”. Cell Biochem Biophys 79, 49–55 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-020-00956-9

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