The paradox of the serrated sickle erythrocyte: The importance of the red blood cell membrane topography.

Authors

Samir K. Ballas, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Philippe Connes, University Claude Bernard LyonFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-16-2015

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed. It is the authors' final version prior to publication in Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation

Volume 63, Issue 2, August 2015, Pages 149-152.

The published version is available at DOI: 10.3233/CH-152014. Copyright © IOS Press

Abstract

Red blood cell rheology and adhesiveness play a key role in the occurrence of vaso-occlusive like events in sickle cell anemia. The present paper reviews counter-intuitive findings supporting that rigid and serrated sickle red blood cells do not initiate vaso-occlusion. Instead, the less rigid red blood cells could initiate vaso-occlusion because of their increased adhesiveness to the vascular wall. We suspect that stiffness of sickle erythrocytes and the topography of RBC membrane are factors affecting adhesion to the endothelium.

Recommended Citation

Ballas, Samir K. and Connes, Philippe, "The paradox of the serrated sickle erythrocyte: The importance of the red blood cell membrane topography." (2015). Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research. Paper 40.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/cardeza_foundation/40