Detection of erythrocytes in patient with iron deficiency anemia using atomic force microscopy

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) disturbs the morphology and function of erythrocytes at molecular level. The purpose of this study was to show that pathophysiological changes to erythrocytes could be detected at the nanometer scale, which is important for the early diagnosis and effective therapies of the anemia.

Blood samples were taken from six healthy volunteers and six patients with IDA before and after therapy. Changes in the morphological and biomechanical properties of erythrocytes were studied at the nanometer level using atomic force microscopy (AFM).

There were dramatic overall shape and surface membrane deformations of the erythrocytes associated with pre- and post-therapeutic IDA compared with healthy erythrocytes. Healthy and pathological erythrocytes of IDA could be distinguished by the morphologic parameters of width, length, the ratio of length to width, valley, peak, valley-to-peak, standard deviations, and surface fluctuation. Treatment effectiveness also could be evaluated by these parameters.

AFM is a good tool for IDA study. Erythrocyte morphology is an important determinant for diagnosing and evaluating therapeutic effect of IDA disease.