Detection of Hypertension-Induced Changes in Erythrocytes by SERS Nanosensors.

Evelina I Nikelshparg,Adil A Baizhumanov,Georgy V Maksimov,Dmitry I Yakubovsky,Olga Sosnovtseva,Anna A Semenova,Valentyn S Volkov,Zhanna V Bochkova,Aleksey V Arsenin,Eugene A Goodilin,Nadezda A Brazhe,Sergey M Novikov

doi:10.3390/bios12010032

Abstract

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising tool that can be used in the detection of molecular changes triggered by disease development. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are caused by multiple pathologies originating at the cellular level. The identification of these deteriorations can provide a better understanding of CVD mechanisms, and the monitoring of the identified molecular changes can be employed in the development of novel biosensor tools for early diagnostics. We applied plasmonic SERS nanosensors to assess changes in the properties of erythrocytes under normotensive and hypertensive conditions in the animal model. We found that spontaneous hypertension in rats leads (i) to a decrease in the erythrocyte plasma membrane fluidity and (ii) to a decrease in the mobility of the heme of the membrane-bound hemoglobin. We identified SERS parameters that can be used to detect pathological changes in the plasma membrane and submembrane region of erythrocytes.

Highlights

The development of novel methods and techniques has expanded our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying many pathologies and paved the way for the creation of novel diagnostic tools [1,2,3]
Erythrocyte ghosts serve as a simplified experimental model of the submembrane region of erythrocytes, since they represent enclosed vesicles of the erythrocyte plasma membrane with Hbmb, which maintains its interaction with AE1-exchanger [20,21] (Figure 1b)
The submembrane region of intact erythrocytes is more complicated and consists of the plasma membrane, Hbmb interacting with the AE1-exchanger, and the cytoskeleton with some amount of Hbc in close vicinity to the inner membrane surface (Figure 1b)

Summary

Introduction

The development of novel methods and techniques has expanded our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying many pathologies and paved the way for the creation of novel diagnostic tools [1,2,3]. Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death around the world. High blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, leading to organ hypoxia and consequent damage, such as heart failure, stroke, vasculopathy, and nephropathy [4,5,6]. Hypoxic conditions can develop as the result of hypertension-induced alterations in vessel structure and hemodynamics [4,7]. Another cause of tissue hypoxia is abnormal changes in hemoglobin’s (Hb) affinity for oxygen (O2 ), leading to the decreased rate of Hb saturation with O2 in the lungs or to the decreased ability of Hb to release O2 in peripheral tissues. The fine tuning of Hb properties ensures the optimal supply of O2 to tissue [8,9]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion