Viscoelastic properties of erythrocyte membranes in high-frequency electric fields

The high deformability of erythrocytes which is essential for their transport through the capillaries depends critically on their discoid shape and on the elasticity of the plasma membrane, which may be determined by interactions of the cytoskeleton, the lipid/protein leaflet and the glycocalyx. Although techniques exist for measurement of the static elastic properties of erythrocytes, the cells are continuously deformed in vivo, the stress varying within periods of a few seconds. Thus dynamic elastic behaviour is essential for their physiological function. We present here a novel means of measuring the dynamic elastic constants of the red cell based on the transient deformation of individual cells in an inhomogeneous high-frequency (HF) electric field. By microscopy it is possible to record cellular elongations as small as 200 nm occurring within time scales of 1 ms. A main advantage is that the cellular response is linear and thus can be more readily interpreted theoretically. We have observed a creep function consisting of two exponentials with response times of 0.1 s and 1 s, which can be described in terms of a simple viscoelastic model. A remarkable temperature dependence of the membrane elasticity between 25 degrees C and 15 degrees C is observed for freshly drawn cells but not for trypsinized ones.