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Study sheds light on circulation patterns of sickle cells
The amount of pressure required to eject individual sickled blood cells from a capillary-sized channel may be lower than usually found in microcirculation, according to recent results.
The current results indicate that maximum pressure exerted in this situation is only about 100 Pa, which researchers noted is much smaller than usually found in the microcirculation. They added that this result may explain why measurements using animal models have not yielded evidence of occlusion beginning in capillaries.
“The magnitude of the pressure and its dependence on intracellular concentration are both well described as consequences of sickle hemoglobin polymerization acting as a Brownian ratchet,” they wrote.
It was recently determined that sickle hemoglobin gels are stiff, according to the researchers. They suggested that in light of this evidence, the observed obstruction found in sickle cell disease as mediated by adherent cells can now be rationalized. Moreover, the current findings suggest that a window of maximum vulnerability during circulation of sickle cells may exist.
Disclosure: See study for disclosure information.