Biochemical and rheodynamic properties of red blood cells crosslinked with glutaraldehyde

New data on the properties of red blood cells (RBC) cross-linked with glutaraldehyde are presented (see also Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 1988, 156, 970-977). Equilibrium and kinetic data show that by carrying out the fixation procedure in the absence of oxygen but in the presence of allosteric effectors (e.g., stabilizing the low-affinity (T) quaternary state of hemoglobin), it is possible to maintain, at least in part, the biochemical functions of the crosslinked hemoglobin inside the cell. Moreover, we show that the oxygen affinity of fixed red blood cells (RBC) is still modulated, even though to a smaller degree, by the allosteric effector bezafibrate (BZF), which is able to cross the fixed RBC membrane. Membrane filtration experiments indicate that the higher rigidity of fixed RBC alters significantly their rheodynamic properties and show that in order to exploit "engineered" RBC as "blood substitutes," more flexible cross-linking reagents may offer significant advantages.