Human red blood cell membrane potential and fluidity in glucose solutions
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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Antigens Protected Functional Red Blood Cells By The Membrane Grafting Of Compact Hyperbranched Polyglycerols
Published on: January 2, 2013
I B Zavodnik1, A Piasecka, K Szosland
1Institute of Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Grodno.
Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate the membrane potential and fluidity changes of human red blood cells subjected to isotonic glucose solutions. For the control erythrocytes a membrane potential value of -10.1 +/- 1.8 mV was obtained, whereas erythrocyte membranes in diabetic cells were hyperpolarized, with a potential of -13.9 +/- 2.3 mV. Incubation of both types of red blood cells with increasing glucose concentrations resulted in a substantial hyperpolarization of the cell membranes. Glucose solutions in water had a much stronger effect on membrane potential than glucose dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline. Red blood cell membrane fluidity measurements using the fluorescent label TMADPH did not reveal any significant changes upon incubation with glucose.
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