Morphology-Dependent Mechanical Characterization of Red Blood Cells by Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Red blood cell (RBC) deformability is essential for microcirculatory flow and oxygen delivery and depends on the organization of the plasma membrane and membrane-spectrin cytoskeleton. Here, scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) was used to investigate RBC topography and apparent Young's modulus under hydrated, low-stress conditions. The draft is organized around the experimental flow shown in the figures: the SICM/optical setup and classification workflow, SICM data for fresh RBCs, SICM data after 24 h storage, direct comparison of fresh and stored morphologies, morphology-resolved stiffness analysis, and the influence of ultraviolet (UV) illumination through a DAPI filter. Fresh samples contained mainly discocyte-like cells together with a smaller number of spherocytes and echinocytes. After 24 h storage, echinocytic and irregular morphologies became more frequent. Quantitative analysis indicated that apparent Young's modulus is morphology-dependent: discocyte-like cells showed the highest values, while 24 h stored spherocytes and echinocytes showed reduced apparent stiffness. UV exposure produced cell-dependent changes in height profiles and apparent modulus, demonstrating that illumination history should be controlled in combined fluorescence/SICM experiments. These results support SICM as a useful method for linking RBC morphology, storage-associated transformation and membrane mechanical response at the single-cell level.
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225413656