Regensburg 2025 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 25: Cell Mechanics II

BP 25.9: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 20. März 2025, 12:00–12:15, H44

Density and viscosity Measurements of the cytosol of human red blood cells — •Thomas John and Christian Wagner — Experimental Physics, Saarland University

We present a method to determine the viscosity of the intracellular liquid - the cytosol - of human red blood cells (RBCs). Our method combines the measurement of the mass density distribution of RBCs and the viscosity of the cytosol as a function of the water content. The density distribution is measured through buoyant density centrifugation combined with cell counting. By correlating this Gaussian distribution of cell population densities with the viscosity-density relation of the cytosol, we obtain a log-normal distribution of the cytosol viscosity of healthy RBCs. The viscosity contrast λ, defined as the ratio of viscosities between the RBC cytosol and the blood plasma under physiological conditions, is determined to have a mean value of λ=10. This value is significantly larger than those used in the literature for numerical simulations.

Keywords: Viscosity Cytosol; Density Cytosol; Red Blood Cells