An animal model to study erythrocyte senescence with a narrow time window of erythrocyte production: alterations in osmotic fragility and deformability of erythrocytes during their life span.

Using the model in which the entire RBC population was nearly synchronously produced following the induction of spherocytic anemia in the rabbit with antibody serum, we determined the changes of RBC osmotic fragility and deformability with aging. The results showed that the osmotic fragility increased with the RBC aging process in a nonlinear manner, being much more profound in the later part of the RBC life span. The RBC deformation index (DI) was measured by an ektacytometry. It is found that the DI decreased with RBC aging in a nonlinear fashion, with increasingly greater changes in the later part of the RBC life span. The alterations of RBC mechanical properties with aging may be attributable to a number of factors, including changes of RBC size and shape, and the viscoelasticity of the cytoplasm and membrane.