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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry
Published on: January 12, 2018
Theoretical model of thalassemic erythrocyte shape transformation
Piotr H Pawlowski1, Beata Burzyńska, Piotr Zielenkiewicz
1Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland. piotrp@ibb.waw.pl
Abstract:
Our earlier model of reticulocyte shape transformation [Pawlowski, P.H., Burzynska, B., Zielenkiewicz, P., 2006. Theoretical model of reticulocyte to erythrocyte shape transformation. J. Theor. Biol. 243, 24-38] was applied to explain the morphological properties of thalassemic erythrocytes. Modification of the standard set of parameters of the model, describing minimal cell volume, membrane bending rigidity, and membrane tension, allowed for simulation of development of alpha- and beta-thalassemic cells from splenectomized and nonsplenectomized individuals. This resulted in observation of thin rim discocytes, tailed erythrocytes and oval forms, as well as in differentiation of time of the cell shape metamorphosis. A comparative analysis of the susceptibility of thalassemic and normal erythrocytes to undergo deformation as well of their stability was performed.
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