Berlin 2012 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 32: Physics of Cells III
BP 32.3: Talk
Friday, March 30, 2012, 10:00–10:15, H 1028
Quantification of Depletion Induced Adhesion of Red Blood Cells — •Patrick Steffen1, Claude Verdier2, and Christian Wagner1 — 1Universität des Saarlandes, Sarbrücken, Germany — 2CNRS - Universite de Grenoble I, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique
Under physiological conditions, red blood cells are known to form aggregates in the forms of rouleaux due to the presence of plasma proteins. Roleaux formation can be also induced in vitro by the adddition of macromolecules to washed red blood cells. Current data on the adhesion strength between red blood cells in their natural discocyte shapes are limited. Here we present measurements on the dextran induced aggregation of red blood cells by use of atomic force microscopy based single cell force spectroscopy (SCFS). The effects of dextran concentration and molecular weight on the interaction energy of adhering RBCs was determined. The results are in excellent agreement with a model based on the depletion effect and former experimental studies.