title: Echinocyte-stomatocyte transformation and shape control of human red blood cells: morphological aspects.
abstract: Red cell morphology was studied after the induction of echinocytic transformation by metabolic depletion, Ca2+ loading, and salicylate and stomatocytic transformation with chlorpromazine. The results indicate that the red cell has an energy-dependent shape control mechanism that allows it to counteract shape-changing stimuli such as metabolic depletion. Albumin was found to induce stomatocytic transformation, whereas gamma-globulins induced echinocytic transformation. Loading of the red cell with calcium resulted in polymorphous membrane damages such as submembranous, "blister-like" lesions, and membrane disintegration; the red cell age had no influence on this process. Conversely, the stomatocyte-echinocyte transformation induced by chlorpromazine and salicylate was shifted towards echinocytes in density-separated old red cells. Sphero-stomatocytes were capable of echinocytic transformation with spicule formation within the red cell vacuoles, whereas sphero-echinocytes were unable to undergo stomatocytic transformation without hemolysis. These observations may help to unravel the complexity of echinocyte-stomatocyte transformation of red blood cells.
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival; D002746:Chlorpromazine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012459:Salicylates / Q000494:pharmacology; D020156:Salicylic Acid; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005719:gamma-Globulins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D012459:Salicylates; D012709:Serum Albumin; D005719:gamma-Globulins; D020156:Salicylic Acid; D002118:Calcium; D002746:Chlorpromazine