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Phagocytosis of Nucleated and Mature β Thalassaemic Red Blood Cells by Mouse Macro‐phages in Vitro
Author(s) -
Knyszynski Ahuva,
Da David,
Kahane Itzhak,
Rachmilewitz Eliezer A.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1979.tb03748.x
Subject(s) - phagocytosis , in vitro , biology , red blood cell , erythropoiesis , sialic acid , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , chemistry , biochemistry , medicine , anemia
S ummary . Physiological or experimental decrease in sialic acid (SA) content on the red blood cell (RBC) membrane is believed to play an important role in the recognition of these cells by macrophages. Since there is a 20–30% decrease in the SA content on the membrane of thalassaemic RBC, the interaction between macrophages and these RBC was studied in vitro . Using mouse peritoneal macrophages, it was found that these macrophages ‘recognize’and phagocytize thalassaemic RBC while RBC from normal donors are hardly phagocytized. The average level of phagocytosis of thalassaemic RBC from splenectomized patients was found to be 22‐fold higher than that of RBC from normal donors. The phagocytized cells consisted of both mature and nucleated RBC. Mouse peritoneal macrophages seem to be a useful in vitro system for the study of the accelerated sequestration and shortened life span of thalassaemic RBC.