title: Dietary supplementation with docosahexanoic acid (DHA) increases red blood cell membrane flexibility in mice with sickle cell disease.
abstract: Humans and mice with sickle cell disease (SCD) have rigid red blood cells (RBCs). Omega-3 fatty acids, such as docosahexanoic acid (DHA), may influence RBC deformability via incorporation into the RBC membrane. In this study, sickle cell (SS) mice were fed natural ingredient rodent diets supplemented with 3% DHA (DHA diet) or a control diet matched in total fat (CTRL diet). After 8weeks of feeding, we examined the RBCs for: 1) stiffness, as measured by atomic force microscopy; 2) deformability, as measured by ektacytometry; and 3) percent irreversibly sickled RBCs on peripheral blood smears. Using atomic force microscopy, it is found that stiffness is increased and deformability decreased in RBCs from SS mice fed CTRL diet compared to wild-type mice. In contrast, RBCs from SS mice fed DHA diet had markedly decreased stiffness and increased deformability compared to RBCs from SS mice fed CTRL diet. Furthermore, examination of peripheral blood smears revealed less irreversibly sickled RBCs in SS mice fed DHA diet as compared to CTRL diet. In summary, our findings indicate that DHA supplementation improves RBC flexibility and reduces irreversibly sickled cells by 40% in SS mice. These results point to potential therapeutic benefits of dietary omega-3 fatty acids in SCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Children's Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Blood Research Institute, Blood Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA. Electronic address: nancy.wandersee@bcw.edu.
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Wandersee
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Jamie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Maciaszek
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Katie M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Giger
authors.affiliation: Blood Research Institute, Blood Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Madelyn S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Suilan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Children's Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Blood Research Institute, Blood Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: YiHe
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Technical Services, Harlan-Teklad Laboratories, Inc., Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mickelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Children's Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; Blood Research Institute, Blood Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Cheryl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hillery
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lykotrafitis
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Low
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hogg
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000187:drug effects; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force
chemical_list: D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids
keywords: Animal model; Omega-3; Red blood cell disorders; Red cell membrane; Sickle cell anemia