Deformability and cell membrane properties of erythrocytes in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

In many investigations of the hypothesis of a membrane defect in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the erythrocyte has been the cell of choice, but reported abnormalities in the Duchenne erythrocyte are disputed. Techniques of microsieving, cell surface staining and measurement of cell water diffusion turnover rate have been used in this investigation to examine erythrocyte properties. Measurements of pressure drop-velocity relations were carried out in a capillary pore rheometer using pure erythrocyte suspensions. The study showed that Duchenne erythrocytes do not behave differently from normal, results which are in substantial agreement with similar microsieving studies. A nuclear magnetic resonance method was used to measure cell water diffusion efflux which, using our cell surface data, could be related to cell membrane permeability. Under normal conditions and conditions of chemical interference with the membrane protein, the results revealed that the membrane pathways involved in water diffusion in Duchenne erythrocytes are unaltered.