The Hydrodynamic Radii of Macromolecules and Their Effect on Red Blood Cell Aggregation

Abstract

The effects of nonionic polymers on human red blood cell (RBC) aggregation were investigated. The hydrodynamic radius ( R h) of individual samples of dextran, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and polyoxyethylene over a range of molecular weights (1500–2,000,000) were calculated from their intrinsic viscosities using the Einstein viscosity relation and directly measured by quasi-elastic light scattering, and the effect of each polymer sample on RBC aggregation was studied by nephelometry and low-shear viscometry. For all three polymers, despite their different structures, samples with R h <4 nm were found to inhibit aggregation, whereas those with R h >4 nm enhanced aggregation. Inhibition increased with R h and was maximal at ∼3 nm; above 4 nm the pro-aggregant effect increased with R h. For comparison, the R h of 12 plasma proteins were calculated from literature values of intrinsic viscosity or diffusion coefficient. Each protein known to promote RBC aggregation had R h >4 nm, whereas those with R h <4 nm either inhibited or had no effect on aggregation. These results suggest that the influence of a nonionic polymer or plasma protein on RBC aggregation is simply a consequence of its size in an aqueous environment, and that the specific type of macromolecule is of minor importance.