Erythrocyte deformability in an in vitro model of hypoxia/reoxygenation – protective effects of superoxide dismutase and catalase

An in vitro model was designed to examine the role of ischemialreperfusion and oxygen-derived free radicals on red blood cell (RBC) injury. Normal human RBC suspensions were subjected to various times of hypoxia (1 to 30 min.) followed by various times of reoxygenation (1 to 30 min.). Using a filtration technique, a decrease in RBC deformability was then observed with a maximal effect after 5 min. hypoxial 5 min. reoxygenation. Superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide could be implicated in this phenomenon, since superoxide dismutase (30 to 300 U/ml) and/or catalase (30 to 300 U/ml) efficiently prevented the membrane rigidity.

This study underlines the role of free radicals on RBC functionality and emphasizes the potential use of free radical scavengers in post-ischemic disorders.