I. M. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Dagestan State University, Makhachkala, Russia.
J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol. 2023 Jun;339(5):474-486. doi: 10.1002/jez.2693. Epub 2023 Apr 3.
The annual cycle of small ground squirrels (Spermophilus pygmaeus) consists of 2 periods: wakefulness (spring-autumn) and hibernation (winter). During the active period, ground squirrels breed (spring), accumulate fat reserves (summer) and prepare for hibernation (autumn). We suppose that the rheological properties of blood and the deformability of erythrocytes can change in different seasons of the animal's wakefulness period to adequately provide tissues with oxygen. The aim of this study was to identify possible adaptive changes in erythrocyte deformability and erythrocyte indices in ground squirrels during their active period. The deformability of erythrocytes was studied by ektacytometry in an osmotic gradient. It was found that in spring, after the arousal of ground squirrels, erythrocytes have the highest deformability (El_max), hydration (O_hyper), water permeability (El_min) and osmotic stability (∆O). In summer, compared with spring, the deformability of erythrocytes decreases, and the average volume of erythrocytes (MCV) also decreases. In autumn, before hibernation, the integral deformability of erythrocytes, their hydration, as well as the range of osmotic stability of erythrocytes increases relative to the summer period. In summer and autumn, in contrast to spring, the average concentration of hemoglobin in the erythrocyte (MCHC) increases. At low shear stress (1 Pa) in summer and autumn, osmoscan becomes a pronounced polymodal form, indicating a change in the viscoelastic properties of ground squirrel erythrocyte membranes. Thus, for the first time, we discovered seasonal variability in the deformability of ground squirrel erythrocytes, which is consistent with the spring-summer activity of animals and preparation for hibernation.
觉醒期（春季-秋季）和冬眠期（冬季）。在活跃期，黄鼠繁殖（春季）、积累脂肪储备（夏季）并为冬眠做准备（秋季）。我们假设血液的流变特性和红细胞的变形能力在动物觉醒期的不同季节会发生变化，以充分为组织提供氧气。本研究旨在确定黄鼠在活跃期红细胞变形能力和红细胞指数的可能适应性变化。通过在渗透梯度中使用 ektacytometry 研究红细胞的变形能力。结果发现，在春季黄鼠苏醒后，红细胞具有最高的变形能力（El_max）、水合作用（O_hyper）、水通透性（El_min）和渗透稳定性（∆O）。在夏季，与春季相比，红细胞的变形能力降低，红细胞平均体积（MCV）也降低。在秋季，冬眠前，与夏季相比，红细胞的整体变形能力、水合作用以及红细胞渗透稳定性的范围增加。在夏季和秋季，与春季相比，红细胞平均血红蛋白浓度（MCHC）增加。在夏季和秋季的低切应力（1 Pa）下，osmoscan 呈现出明显的多模态形式，表明黄鼠红细胞膜的粘弹性特性发生了变化。因此，我们首次发现黄鼠红细胞变形能力的季节性变化，这与动物的春季-夏季活动和冬眠准备相一致。
