Effect of Aging on Deformability of Erythrocytes in Shear Flow

Abstract

To study the effect of aging on deformability of an erythrocyte, rheological measurement has been performed after exposure to a shear field in vitro. Deformability was evaluated with shear stress responsiveness and with critical elongation calculated from an exponential curve between an elongation index and shear stress. Human erythrocytes were classified according to their density by a centrifugal method. Deformability decreases in erythrocytes of high density after shearing. Even after exposure to the shear field of 640 1/s for one hour, erythrocytes deform from biconcave to ellipsoidal and their deformability is maintained.

Keywords

• Shear Flow
• Deformability
• Bio-measurement
• Erythrocyte
• Shear Stress Responsiveness
• Elongation Index
• Aging