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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
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Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry
Published on: January 12, 2018
Deformability of oxygenated irreversibly sickled cells
The Journal of Clinical Investigation
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) show altered deformability due to cellular dehydration, not membrane changes. Reducing hemoglobin concentration and viscosity restores their normal cell function and flexibility.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Biophysics
- Rheology
Background:
- Irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) are a hallmark of sickle cell disease, exhibiting abnormal rheological properties.
- The precise mechanisms underlying the reduced deformability of ISC remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the deformability characteristics of isolated irreversibly sickled cells (ISC).
- To determine the influence of intracellular hemoglobin concentration, viscosity, and osmolality on ISC deformability.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an ektacytometer to analyze laser diffraction patterns of ISC under shear stress.
- Studied cells in solutions of varying osmolality to assess deformability changes.
Main Results:
- ISC deformability is profoundly influenced by mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and intracellular viscosity.
- ISC were virtually undeformable at 290 mosM but became highly deformable at 130 mosM.
- Restoration of normal hemoglobin levels and reduced viscosity normalized ISC deformability.
Conclusions:
- Altered membrane properties are not the primary cause of decreased ISC deformability.
- Cellular dehydration, induced by prior sickling, significantly contributes to the abnormal rheological behavior of ISC.
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