Change in erythrocyte shape induced by cyclosporine administration

In order to estimate the effect of the long term administration of cyclosporine (CsA) on the shape change of erythrocytes, erythrocyte shapes which are observed with a scanning electron microscope were classified according to the nomenclature of Bessis for stomatocyte-echinocyte shape transformation. As a result of observing the erythrocyte shape of fifty-six patients with kidney transplantation treated with CsA, the morphological index of the erythrocytes of patients significantly increased to 0.0835+/-0.0085*** in comparison with 0.0004+/-0.0051 of those from healthy volunteers (control) (***: p<0.001, ANOVA). Such transformations had no relation to the subjects' sex or age. On the other hand, the erythrocytes of patients administered more than 100 ng/ml of CsA and posttransplanted within less than two years were transformed by CsA from the state of discocyte to echinocyte. In rats, the morphological index of erythrocytes of rats treated with 3 mg/kg/d or 5 mg/kg/d of CsA significantly increased in comparison with rats treated with saline (control). Furthermore, the erythrocytes of two patients were observed in terms of shape before the treatment with CsA. In both patients, the echinocyte type of erythrocyte increased by treatment with CsA. In vitro, the morphological index of the erythrocytes incubated with plasma containing CsA significantly increased, to 0.459+/-0.066*** in comparison with 0.064+/-0.029 of the control. It is suggested from these results that CsA treatment induces the echinocyte type of erythrocyte.