Sedimentation of single human red blood cells. Differences between normal and glutaraldehyde fixed cells.

Abstract

AbstractThe sedimentation behaviour of single human red blood cells fixed with glutaraldehyde at pH 7.4 and 6.4 was studied and compared to resiflts previously reported for normal fresh cells. The cells fixed at pH 7.4 were observed to have normal shapes while those fixed at pH 6.4 were more spherical and less disc‐like. Fixation of glutaraldehyde removed “membrane flicker,” resulting in increased stability as indicated by a decrease in the number of orientation changes per minute from 2.93 ± 0.16 (SEM) to 1.74 ± 0.10 (SEM). An orientation change was defined as a change of 45° in any direction. Fixation also increased the edge‐to‐flat time preference ratio from 2.5 to 4.7, and increased the sedimentation velocities in all three orientations, despite a measured 2.5% decrease in mean cell density.Fixation of cells at pH 6.4 showed that the decrease in stability and preference for the on‐edge orientation was associated with an increase in the sphericity of the cell.