Analysis of 24‐h recovery of transfused stored RBC s in recipient mice of distinct genetic backgrounds

Background and Objectives Human studies have demonstrated substantial donor‐to‐donor variation in refrigerated RBC storage with respect to several variables, including 24‐h post‐transfusion RBC recovery. However, the human studies leading to these observations are mostly performed using autologous transfusions of stored RBC s, thereby avoiding issues of infectious disease transmission and alloimmunization. Accordingly, one cannot distinguish whether variability in 24‐h RBC recovery is due to alterations in RBC storage, differences in phagocytic activity of the recipient's reticuloendothelial system or both. Similar to humans, genetically distinct inbred mouse strains have substantial differences in RBC storage biology, including 24‐h post‐transfusion RBC recovery. Materials and Methods In this report, we juxtaposed 24‐h recoveries in 15 distinct inbred strains of mice, holding the RBC donor constant to isolate transfusion recipient variation as an independent variable. Strains were chosen for differences in baseline reticulocyte count and haemoglobin, which may correlate to RBC life span and turnover. Results Unlike large differences observed in storage of RBC s obtained from different strains of mice, only subtle strain‐to‐strain differences were observed regarding 24‐h post‐transfusion RBC recoveries. Conclusions These findings indicate that the murine strains examined are not likely to be useful in sorting out mechanisms of clearance of stored RBC s, and suggest that such mechanisms may be generally conserved in the strains of mice analysed.