Scanning electron microscopic study of erythrocyte shapes artificially jetted through tubes at different pressures by 'in vitro cryotechnique for erythrocytes'.
A new cryotechnique for examining morphological changes of human erythrocytes at different jet pressures was developed in the present study. Human fresh or stored erythrocytes passing through a tube were jetted into precooled isopentane-propane mixture (-193 degrees C), which was named as 'in vitro cryotechnique for erythrocytes'. After the cryotechnique procedure, the routine freeze-substitution method and subsequent t-butyl alcohol freeze-drying method were used for preparing the scanning electron microscopic specimens. At 100 mmHg or higher pressures of jetting, lamellar-arranged erythrocytes were observed to have elongated shapes. The more the jetting pressure increased, the fewer discoid shapes of erythrocytes were observed. This cryofixation technique could preserve the morphology of erythrocytes jetting from tubes, and provide the three-dimensional image of erythrocyte surfaces, as followed by scanning electron microscopy.
Terada
N
N
Department of Anatomy, Yamanashi Medical University, Japan.
Fujii
Y
Y
Kato
Y
Y
Ueda
H
H
Baba
T
T
Ohno
S
S
D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning