Changes in red blood cell membrane structure in type 2 diabetes : a scanning electron and atomic force microscopy study
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Date
Authors
Buys, A.V. (Antonia Vergina)
Van Rooy, Mia-Jeanne
Soma, Prashilla
Van Papendorp, D.H. (Dirk Hermanus), 1949-
Lipinski, Boguslaw
Pretorius, Etheresia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central
Abstract
Red blood cells (RBCs) are highly deformable and possess a robust membrane that can withstand shear force. Previous research showed that in diabetic patients, there is a changed RBC ultrastructure, where these cells are
elongated and twist around spontaneously formed fibrin fibers. These changes may impact erythrocyte function. Ultrastructural analysis of RBCs in inflammatory and degenerative diseases can no longer be ignored and should
form a fundamental research tool in clinical studies. Consequently, we investigated the membrane roughness and ultrastructural changes in type 2 diabetes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study membrane roughness and we correlate this with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to compare results of both the techniques with the RBCs of healthy individuals. We show that the combined AFM and SEM analyses of RBCs give valuable information about the disease status of patients with diabetes. Effectiveness of treatment regimes on the integrity, cell shape and roughness of RBCs may be tracked, as this cell’s health status is crucial to the overall wellness of the diabetic patient.
Description
Keywords
Atomic force microscopy, Red blood cells (RBCs), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Buys, AV, Van Rooy, MJ, Soma, P, Van Papendorp, D, Lipinski, B & Pretorius, E 2013, 'Changes in red blood cell membrane structure in type 2 diabetes: a scanning electron and atomic force microscopy study', Cardiovascular Diabetology, vol. 12, art. # 25, pp. 1-6.