In vitro effects of oestradiol and indomethacin on rabbit erythrocyte fragility characteristics

An in vitro study was conducted to determine whether indomethacin (IN) and oestradiol (E(2)) induced decreases in rabbit haematocrit may be related to their effect on erythrocyte fragility (EF). Aliquots of treated rabbit whole blood were assayed as control, IN (9.6 mug/ml), E(2) (500 pg/ml) and IN + E(2), for changes in EF. Osmotic (OF) and mechanical (MF) fragility in eight experimental replicates were evaluated under approximate physiological conditions by measurement of haemoglobin release. Samples were assayed immediately after drug addition and again 4 hr after incubation at 39.5 degrees C. OF results showed a significant increase in 50% haemolysis between final IN and IN + E(2) values when compared with their initial values and with controls. OF haemolysis dispersion was increased over time by IN and IN + E(2). MF increased with IN, E(2) and IN + E(2) versus their initial values and the controls. Although the increase in MF from IN was greater than that from E(2), the MF from IN + E(2) was not greater than that from IN alone. The IN induced increases in both OF and MF indicate a difference in degree of interaction with the erythrocyte from that of E(2), which affected only MF and the effect of which was neither additive nor synergistic with that of IN.