Abstract
Background - The red blood cells in blood bags, stored in banks must remain optimal throughout the 42-day of refrigerated storage, despite the accumulation of lesions over time, to ensure effective oxygen delivery following transfusion. Haemoglobin is likely to be affected by oxidative stress and free radical-induced damage. We investigated changes in the functional quality of haemoglobin during the red blood cell storage in blood bags, by assessing the presence and follow up of a soluble α-haemoglobin pool.
Materials and methods - Twenty-one leukoreduced red blood cell units stored at +4 to 6°C were sampled four times from days 3 to 8 (D3-D8) and days 38 to 42 (D38-D42) after collection. The UV-visible absorbance spectra were obtained from the red blood cell lysates prepared and the soluble α-haemoglobin pool was determined from the beginning to the end of storage.
Results - A soluble α-haemoglobin pool was detected in RBC lysates from the beginning of storage. Its amount varied between red blood cell units and significantly increased between the beginning (D3-D8) and end (D38-D42) of the storage period (p<0.0001).
Discussion - These results provide the first demonstration of the presence of a soluble α-haemoglobin pool in red blood cells from blood units, with variability between the blood units and a slight but significant increase during processing and storage, but the amount of α-haemoglobin present remains negligible relative to the amount of functional haemoglobin in blood units.
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