Open AccessSurface area‐to‐volume ratio, not cellular viscoelasticity, is the major determinant of red blood cell traversal through small channels
Author(s) -
Namvar Arman,
Blanch Adam J.,
Dixon Matthew W.,
Carmo Olivia M. S.,
Liu Boyin,
Tiash Snigdha,
Looker Oliver,
Andrew Dean,
Chan LiJin,
Tham WaiHong,
Lee Peter V. S.,
Rajagopal Vijay,
Tilley Leann
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
cellular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.542
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1462-5822
pISSN - 1462-5814
DOI - 10.1111/cmi.13270
Subject(s) - viscoelasticity , biophysics , red blood cell , biology , membrane , microfluidics , surface area to volume ratio , aspect ratio (aeronautics) , stiffening , cell , anatomy , materials science , nanotechnology , biochemistry , composite material , paleontology
The remarkable deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) depends on the viscoelasticity of the plasma membrane and cell contents and the surface area to volume (SA:V) ratio; however, it remains unclear which of these factors is the key determinant for passage through small capillaries. We used a microfluidic device to examine the traversal of normal, stiffened, swollen, parasitised and immature RBCs. We show that dramatic stiffening of RBCs had no measurable effect on their ability to traverse small channels. By contrast, a moderate decrease in the SA:V ratio had a marked effect on the equivalent cylinder diameter that is traversable by RBCs of similar cellular viscoelasticity. We developed a finite element model that provides a coherent rationale for the experimental observations, based on the nonlinear mechanical behaviour of the RBC membrane skeleton. We conclude that the SA:V ratio should be given more prominence in studies of RBC pathologies.