Studies on the biomechanical properties of maturing reticulocytes

We investigated the biomechanical properties of reticulocytes obtained from an animal model of hemolytic anemia induced by antibody injection. The hemorheological indices, membrane viscoelasticity, membrane fluidity, and the secondary structure of membrane proteins of the reticulocytes were monitored continuously during the course of their maturation into erythrocytes. The results indicate that reticulocytes had lower deformability, lower membrane fluidity, greater viscoelastic modulus and lesser proportions of alpha-helices and beta-sheets in protein secondary structures than mature erythrocytes. All these indices approached to the level of normal erythrocytes when reticulocytes transformed during maturation. The results help to enhance our understanding of the biomechanical properties of the reticulocytes in their maturing process with clinical diagnosis significances.