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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Quantitative Analysis of Viscoelastic Properties of Red Blood Cells Using Optical Tweezers and Defocusing Microscopy
Published on: March 25, 2022
Biochemical relevance between oxidative/carbonyl stress and elevated viscosity of erythrocyte suspensions
Xibin Liu1, Wanghua Qin, Dazhong Yin
1College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China.
Abstract:
The effects of various aldehydes such as secondary products of peroxidized lipids and other aldehydes on rheological parameters and their relation with aging process were studied. Malondialdehyde (MDA) in different concentrations can increase significantly viscosity and plastic viscosity of erythrocytes suspended in plasma and HEPES buffer solution. Simultaneously, oxidation induced by Fe2+ can also enhance the viscosity of erythrocyte suspensions. All of these data suggest that MDA as one of the most studied unsaturated carbonyl products of lipid peroxidation leading to protein crosslinking may carry important information in understanding carbonyl stress-related rheological change in acute as well as chronic diseases and aging.
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