To carry out its task of transporting gases by vascular network erythrocytes must have a high ability to elastically deform in response to mechanical influences and to pass through narrow vessels of microcirculation. The purpose of work was to study the influence of hypothermic storage in different media on the mechanical stability of human and ovine erythrocytes. Material and methods. The washed human and ovine erythrocytes were mixed with an Olsver medium or 5% mannitol solution and stored at + 4 °C for up to 2 months. Mechanical shock was simulated by stirring of erythrocytes suspension for 120 min in the container filled with plastic beads. At certain intervals a selection of erythrocyte suspension was performed to determine the output of hemoglobin from the cells. Results and discussion. The obtained results showed that under the influence of mechanical stress the degree of cell damage lowered over time and the erythrocyte hemolysis increased in all samples. The incubation medium has no effect on their mechanical stability. However, in hypothermic storage the preserving medium plays a key role in preservation of the mechanical properties of human red blood cells. Significant differences in the mechanical stability of ovine and human erythrocytes were found: the reaction of ovine erythrocytes on mechanical stress strongly depended on the incubation medium; ovine erythrocytes were more hemolyzed over time under mechanical action than human erythrocytes. The mechanical resistance of human and ovine erythrocytes decreased after 1 month of hypothermic storage in all tested media. For human erythrocytes after 1 month of storage, the mechanical stability was significantly higher in Olsver medium than in mannitol solution, and with time of mechanical exposure, the difference in hemolysis levels between these media increased. For ovine erythrocytes the difference in mechanical resistance for Olsver medium and mannitol solution was not as pronounced as for human erythrocytes. Hypothermic storage of human and ovine erythrocytes for 2 months led to further decrease in their mechanical stability. Conclusions. Hypothermic storage of red blood cells for 1 and 2 months led to decrease in the mechanical resistance of red blood cells. The mechanical stability of ovine erythrocytes was lower than that of human erythrocytes and was more dependent on the incubation medium.
Keywords: hypothermic storage, erythrocytes, preserving media, mechanical stress, hemolysis
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