Alteration of red blood cells viscoelastic properties by in vitro action of Propofol

M. V. Batista da Silva, A. I. Alet, N. A. Alet, H. Castellini, M. DArrigo, B. D. Riquelme

Abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated that propofol may affect the stationary viscoelastic parameters of human red blood cells. In this work, we studied the in vitro action of propofol (4µg/mL, near steady-state) on Red Blood Cells (RBCs) from healthy donors (n=5) to analyze its possible effects on dynamic viscoelastic parameters. Measurements were carried out by using the new Reómetro Eritrocitario Computarizado (Erythrocyte Computerized Rheometer) based on laser diffractometry technique. The phase shift between deformation and applied shear stress at 0.5, 1 and 1.5 Hz was measured and complex viscoelastic parameters were calculated. G´ and n´´ significantly increased when compared to controls at 0.5 Hz, while there were no significant differences for 1.0 nor 1.5 Hz. Comparing among treated samples, G´ was higher than G´´, and n´ was lower than n´´ for all the assayed frequencies. Propofol may alter the dynamic viscoelastic properties of RBC membranes at concentrations lower than those previously evaluated in the literature, probably affecting the dynamic viscoelasticity of RBCs.


Series on Biomechanics, Vol.31, No.3 (2017), 25-29

Keywords: erythrocyte computerized rheometer (reómetro eritrocitario); propofol; Red blood cell viscoelasticity

Date published: 2017-12-12