Hemorheological and Atomic Force Microscopy studies on the experimental clot formations in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

A. Alexandrova, N. Antonova, M. Kyulavska, I. Velcheva, I. Ivanov, E. Zvetkova

Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induced hemorheological disturbances leading to pathological changes in the whole blood viscosity (WBV), in blood coagulation and to the clots` formation. The study aims to investigate kinetics of the induced in vitro blood clots in T2DM patients and in healthy donors and morphological characteristics of the experimentally induced blood clots by means of atomic force microscope (AFM). The kinetics of blood coagulation was examined at a steady shear flow at low shear rate 0,0596 s-1 by means of the rotational viscometer LS30 Contraves and WBV was evaluated. AFM scanning of the formed under shearing clots have been performed. The topography of the blood clots was examined using Force Modulation mode by means of AFM “Dimensional ICON Bruker NanoScope V9 Instrument”. The results showed that clot formation in diabetic patients is accelerated in comparison to the controls at the applied low shear rate. The WBV at complete coagulation in T2DM patients is higher than in healthy donors. The morphological characteristics and functional transformations of erythrocytes (RBCs) and platelets in the experimentally formed under shearing clots, examined by AFM, showed that mainly “activated” platelets formed the experimentally induced clots in diabetic patients. Atypical erythrocytes (echinocytes, stomatocytes, target-like erythrocytes, etc.), poikilocytosis and anisocytosis of RBCs were also observed in clot formations from patients with T2DM.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, whole blood viscosity, kinetics of blood coagulation, platelets (PLT, thrombocytes), erythrocytes (red blood cells, RBCs), atomic force microscope (AFM)

Series on Biomechanics, Vol.32, No.3 (2018), 63-73

Keywords: atomic force microscope (AFM); erythrocytes (red blood cells, RBCs); kinetics of blood coagulation; platelets (PLT, thrombocytes); type 2 diabetes mellitus; whole blood viscosity

Date published: 2018-12-16