Diet-induced hypercholesterolaemia causes increase of red blood cell deformability in rabbits

Abstract

Introduction: The associations between atherosclerosis, hyperlipidaemia, microcirculatory disturbances and decreased red blood cell (RBC) deformability are well established. However, a reduction of hypercholesterolaemia may not always lead to improvement of red blood cell deformability, hence the aim of this study was to measure RBC deformability in well-controlled experimental conditions.
Material and methods: Rabbits were fed normal diet n = 5 (control), or hen’s egg enriched diet n = 5 (hypercholesterolaemia). After six weeks RBC deformability was measured by shear stress diffractometer Rheodyn SSD.
Results: There were significant increases in RBC deformability in hypercholesterolaemic v. control rabbits at higher shear stresses between 6.0 and 60.0 Pa, decreases in mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), increases in mean corpuscular volume of erythrocyte (MCV), increases in superoxide dismutase activity, and increases in Vitamin A and E levels in the serum.
Conclusions: 1. Deformability of RBC of hypercholesterolaemic rabbits has been increased. 2. Possible factors responsible for the increase in deformability of erythrocytes during experimental hypercholesterolaemia can be changes in mean corpuscular volume, erythrocyte’s cytoplasma viscosity and oxidative-antioxidative balance.