Elevated microviscosity in membranes of erythrocytes affected by hereditary spherocytosis

Erythrocytes affected by hereditary spherocytosis (HS), obtained from several splenectomized patients, showed a varying degree of elevated osmotic fragility. In order to evaluate a possible role of the erythrocyte membrane lipids in HS, microviscosity of the membrane lipid core was measured by a fluorescence-polarization technique. Intact HS-affected red cells, as well as their ghost membranes and liposomes prepared from their lipid extract, all showed a distinctly higher micro-viscosity than the respective normal control. The increased microviscosity correlated with the severity of HS. The data support the proposition that the defect in HS-affected red cells is associated, at least in part, with alterations in the membrane lipids.