title: Sickle cell biomechanics.
abstract: As the predominant cell type in blood, red blood cells (RBCs) and their biomechanical properties largely determine the rheological and hemodynamic behavior of blood in normal and disease states. In sickle cell disease (SCD), mechanically fragile, poorly deformable RBCs contribute to impaired blood flow and other pathophysiological aspects of the disease. The major underlying cause of this altered blood rheology and hemodynamics is hemoglobin S (HbS) polymerization and RBC sickling under deoxygenated conditions. This review discusses the characterization of the biomechanical properties of sickle RBCs and sickle blood as well as their implications toward a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease.
authors.affiliation: The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA. barabino@gatech.edu
authors.forename: Gilda A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Barabino
authors.forename: Manu O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.forename: Dhananjay K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kaul
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002415:Cats; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D004913:Erythrocytes, Abnormal / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006451:Hemoglobin, Sickle / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D006451:Hemoglobin, Sickle