title: Determination of the elastic shear modulus of cultured human red blood cells.
abstract: In this study we investigated the mechanical properties of in vitro cultured red blood cells (RBCs) in a liquid system. We used human umbilical cord blood as a highly efficient source of hematopoietic stem cells (HS). Our first goal was to establish an optimal medium composition in order to yield finally differentiated RBCs, i.e. enucleated and hemoglobin-filled cells. Different stages of cell differentiation were distinguished based on morphological observations and flow cytometry measurements. By means of the micropipette aspiration technique we estimated the deformability characteristics of the cultured cells. Up to the stage of oxiphilic normoblasts they readily deformed. Reticulocytes and mature RBCs showed an enhanced stiffness as compared to RBCs obtained from donors.
authors.affiliation: University of Applied Sciences Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maggakis-Kelemen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biselli
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Artmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004548:Elasticity; D004905:Erythrocyte Aging / Q000502:physiology; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000502:physiology*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000502:physiology