Alterations in red blood cell deformability during storage: a microfluidic approach

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Hematology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Red blood cells (RBCs) must deform to navigate microcapillaries, a process vital for blood flow.
• RBC deformability depends on membrane-cytoskeleton, surface area-to-volume ratio, and hemoglobin content.
• Changes in RBC morphology during storage or disease are linked to reduced deformability and cell removal, but clinical significance is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a microfluidic approach for assessing RBC deformability.
• To evaluate the clinical significance of RBC deformability measurements.
• To investigate the impact of blood bank storage and morphological changes on RBC deformability.

Main Methods:

• A novel microfluidic technique was developed to measure RBC deformability.
• The method allows for high-throughput, statistically significant data collection.
• Morphological information was obtained at the single-cell level under physiologically relevant conditions.

Main Results:

• RBC deformability and relaxation capacity remain unaffected during standard blood bank storage.
• Altered RBC morphology, in itself, does not necessarily impair deformability.
• The microfluidic method provides physiologically meaningful and clinically relevant data.

Conclusions:

• Blood bank storage does not compromise the intrinsic deformability or relaxation capacity of red blood cells.
• Morphological alterations in RBCs do not automatically equate to reduced deformability.
• The developed microfluidic approach offers a robust tool for clinically significant assessment of RBC rheology.