Ektacytometry: characterization of the erythrocytes of rats subjected to hypothermia and receiving natural zeolites

Abstract

The article presents data as to the effect of a diet containing natural zeolite, taken from the Mysovsky mine (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Ugra), and applied in powdered form on the ability of erythrocytes of white outbred rats to change their shape in shear flow under normal and hypothermic conditions. To assess the deformability of erythrocytes, a laser diffraction technique combined with a redesigned version of the ektacytomer has been used in this work. For comparison, zeolite from the Kholinsky mine (Zabaykalsky Krai), which is well-studied and widely used for medicines and nutraceuticals has been provided. It has been shown that hypothermia causes a significant increase in the parameter such as erythrocyte deformability in rats in a cold group and is associated with enhanced lipid peroxidation when compared to animals in a control group. These alterations were a result of macrocytosis, revealed by flow cytometry analysis. Natural zeolite powder used in animal feeds had antioxidant and membrane-protective effects on animals in both groups. These included a significant increase in the parameter such as erythrocyte deformability with a decrease in lipid peroxidation processes and expansion of the Price-Jones curve to the left, unlike those observed in animals subjected to hypothermia but not receiving zeolites. The results obtained demonstrated that the biological effects of natural zeolite-containing preparation which contains a clinoptilolite component are similar and that zeolites from the Mysovsky mine can be used as a potent raw material for drugs.