Surface area-to-volume ratio, not cellular rigidity, determines red blood cell traversal through small capillaries
Arman Namvar; Adam Blanch; Matthew WA Dixon; Olivia Carmo; Boyin Liu; Snigdha Tiash; Oliver Looker; Dean Andrew; Li-Jin Chan; Wai-Hong Tham; Peter Vee Sin Lee; Vijay Rajagopal; Leann Tilley
10.1101/2020.07.11.191494 bioRxivShow abstract
The remarkable deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) depends on the viscoelasticity of the plasma membrane and cell contents and the surface area to volume (SA:V) ratio; however, it remains unclear which of these factors is the key determinant for passage through small capillaries. We used a microfluidic device to examine the traversal of normal, stiffened, swollen, parasitised and immature RBCs. We show that dramatic stiffening of RBCs had no measurable effect on their ability to traverse small channels. By contrast, a moderate decrease in the SA:V ratio had a marked effect on the equivalent cylinder diameter that is traversable by RBCs of similar stiffness. We developed a finite element model that provides a coherent rationale for the experimental observations, based on the nonlinear mechanical behaviour of the RBC membrane skeleton. We conclude that the SA:V ratio should be given more prominence in studies of RBC pathologies.
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