Erythrocyte stiffness in diabetes mellitus studied with atomic force microscope.
The mechanical properties of erythrocyte membrane have been studied using an atomic force microscope. Measurements were carried out on blood samples taken from 7 diabetes mellitus patients and 8 healthy individuals. For each blood sample a distribution of a Young's modulus was constructed. It has been found that both the mean value and the width of the distribution in diabetic patients exceed the corresponding results for healthy persons by a factor greater than 3. The high sensitivity of the atomic force microscopy and the ability to measure the full distribution of the erythrocyte membrane Young's modulus makes it a unique, powerful and promising tool in studies of the membrane stiffness of red blood cells.
Fornal
Maria
M
Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Sniadeckich 10, 31-351 Kraków, Poland. Fornal@su.krakow.pl
Lekka
Małgorzata
M
Pyka-Fościak
Grazyna
G
Lebed
Kateryna
K
Grodzicki
Tomasz
T
Wizner
Barbara
B
Styczeń
Jan
J
D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood*; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity