Effects of vitamin E and iron deficiency on filterability of rat red blood cells (RBC)

Abstract

Experimental nutritional deficiencies of vitamin E and iron both decrease the filterability of rat red blood cells incubated in vitro but by two completely different mechanisms. The decreased filterability of red cells from vitamin E-deficient rats was accompanied by a discocyte/spherocyte transition and crosslinking of membrane proteins, whereas the decreased filterability of red cells from iron-deficient rats was not associated with any shape change or protein crosslinking. Nutritional deficiencies may provide useful approaches for studying the general problem of red cell deformability.

Key Words:

• vitamin E deficiency
• iron deficiency
• nutritional deficiency
• lead poisoning
• lipid peroxidation
• red cell deformability
• red cell filterability
• antioxidant
• discocyte/spherocyte transition
• membrane protein crosslinking.