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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
13:25
Acute Kidney Injury Model Induced by Cisplatin in Adult Zebrafish
Published on: May 15, 2021
Suicidal erythrocyte death triggered by cisplatin.
Hasan Mahmud1, Michael Föller, Florian Lang
1Department of Physiology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
Toxicology
|May 24, 2008
Summary
Cisplatin, a cancer drug, can cause anemia by inducing suicidal death in red blood cells (eryptosis). This occurs through increased calcium and reduced ATP levels, leading to cell shrinkage and phosphatidylserine exposure.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapy agent for various cancers.
- Anemia is a known side effect of cisplatin treatment.
- Erythroptosis, or suicidal death of erythrocytes, is characterized by cell shrinkage and phosphatidylserine exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether cisplatin can induce eryptosis.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which cisplatin might affect red blood cells.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry (FACS) was used to analyze cell volume (forward scatter) and phosphatidylserine exposure (annexin V-binding).
- Cytosolic calcium levels were measured using Fluo3 fluorescence.
- ATP levels and ceramide formation were assessed.
- Experiments were conducted with and without extracellular calcium.
Main Results:
- Cisplatin treatment (≥1 µM, 48 h) decreased erythrocyte volume and increased phosphatidylserine exposure.
- Cisplatin elevated cytosolic calcium activity, a key trigger for eryptosis.
- The effect of cisplatin on phosphatidylserine exposure was reduced in the absence of extracellular calcium.
- Cisplatin moderately decreased cellular ATP levels but did not significantly alter ceramide formation.
- No significant hemolysis was observed.
Conclusions:
- Cisplatin induces suicidal erythrocyte death (eryptosis), at least partially by increasing cytosolic calcium.
- This cisplatin-induced eryptosis contributes to or explains the development of anemia during chemotherapy.
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