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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Author Spotlight: Studying Biomechanics of Circulating Cells by Modulating Their Electrodeformation Behavior
Published on: October 13, 2023
[COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MECHANICAL STRESS EFFECT ON HUMAN AND ANIMAL ERYTHROCYTES]
Abstract:
Sensitivity of human and animal (bovine, rat, rabbit, equine) erythrocytes to the effect of mechanical stress has been studied. Mechanical stress effect was demonstrated to result in a time-dependent (5-60 min) release of potassium cations out of mammalian erythrocytes and a partial hemolytic cell damage. Herewith the release levels of potassium ions and hemolysis did not coincide for erythrocytes of all the mammals except rabbit ones. The most sensitive to mechanical stress (60 min) by the parameters of hemolytic damage and potassium ion release were rat (32%) and bovine (66%) erythrocytes respectively, the lowest sensitive by both parameters were rabbit ones (about 20%). Implemented correlation analysis has demonstrated a statistically significant negative relation between the values of mechanical hemolysis of mammalian erythrocytes and surface-volumetric ratio of cells (rs = -0.900, P = 0.037). A feasible relationship between the content of phosphatidylethanolamine in mammalian erythrocyte membranes and the level of potassium cation loss under mechanical stress effect is under discussion.
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