Abstract
The storage lesions and the irradiation of blood cellular components for medical procedures in blood banks are events that may induce nanochanges in the membrane of red blood cells (RBCs). Alterations, such as the formation of pores and vesicles, reduce flexibility and compromise the overall erythrocyte integrity. This review discusses the alterations on erythrocytic lipid membrane bilayer through their characterization by confocal scanning microscopy, Raman, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy techniques. The interrelated experimental results may address and shed light on the correlation of biomechanical and biochemical transformations induced in the membrane and cytoskeleton of stored and gamma-irradiated RBC. To highlight the main advantages of combining these experimental techniques simultaneously or sequentially, we discuss how those outcomes observed at micro- and nanoscale cell levels are useful as biomarkers of cell aging and storage damage.
Highlights
Irradiation of blood components is the only accepted procedure for preventing transfusionassociated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD; Santacruz-Gomez et al, 2016)
red blood cells (RBCs) undergoes time-dependent biochemical changes collectively known as storage lesions (Antonelou and Seghatchian, 2016; Kozlova et al, 2017)
The study of the complex biochemical changes on RBC triggered by storing and irradiation stresses may be elucidated by using a set of micro- and nanomicroscopy techniques
Summary
Irradiation of blood components is the only accepted procedure for preventing transfusionassociated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD; Santacruz-Gomez et al, 2016). These changes produce structural modifications at the nanoscale level, such as pores and vesicle formation, compromising essential functional and structural properties of RBC (Santacruz-Gomez et al, 2014; D’Alessandro et al, 2015; Acosta-Elías et al, 2017; Koch et al, 2019).
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