Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
Author Spotlight: Investigating Vascular Stiffness and Inflammation in Early Diabetic Retinopathy
Published on: July 12, 2024
Detection of erythrocytes in patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia using atomic force microscopy
1Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Abstract:
The pathological changes of erythrocytes are detected at the nanometer scale, which is important for revealing the onset of diseases and diagnosis. The aim of this study is to examine the ultrastructural changes of erythrocytes in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) at a nanometer scale. Blood samples were collected from two healthy volunteers, two WM patients, and three multiple myeloma (MM) patients when they were first diagnosed. The changes of morphology in the erythrocytes were studied at the nanometer level by high-resolution atomic force microscopy imaging (AFM). Compared with the healthy controls and the MM patients, there were dramatic deformations in the overall shape and surface membrane of the erythrocytes in WM patients. Healthy, pathological WM, and MM erythrocytes could be distinguished by several morphological parameters, including the width, length, length-to-width ratio, valley, peak, peak-to-valley, and Ra. AFM is able to detect the morphological differences in the red blood cells from WM patients, healthy controls, and MM patients. Therefore, the erythrocyte morphology is an important parameter for the diagnosis of WM, which can be used to distinguish WM from MM. The changes of ultrastructure in red blood cells may provide a clue to reveal the mechanism of WM.
Insights
Atomic force microscopy revealed significant erythrocyte shape and surface changes in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) patients. These nanometer-scale ultrastructural differences aid in distinguishing WM from multiple myeloma (MM) and healthy controls.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Nanotechnology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Erythrocyte (red blood cell) pathological changes at the nanometer scale are crucial for disease onset detection and diagnosis.
- Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by the overproduction of IgM antibodies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ultrastructural changes of erythrocytes in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) patients at the nanometer scale.
- To assess the potential of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in differentiating WM erythrocytes from healthy controls and multiple myeloma (MM) erythrocytes.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging was employed to study erythrocyte morphology.
- Blood samples were analyzed from healthy volunteers, diagnosed WM patients, and diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients.
Main Results:
- Erythrocytes from WM patients exhibited dramatic deformations in overall shape and surface membrane compared to healthy controls and MM patients.
- Distinct morphological parameters (width, length, length-to-width ratio, valley, peak, peak-to-valley, Ra) allowed differentiation between healthy, WM, and MM erythrocytes.
- AFM successfully detected significant morphological differences in red blood cells across the studied groups.
Conclusions:
- Erythrocyte morphology, as assessed by AFM, serves as a valuable parameter for diagnosing WM and distinguishing it from MM.
- Ultrastructural changes in red blood cells may offer insights into the underlying mechanisms of WM pathogenesis.
