Effect of vibration of the vortex mixer on the red blood cells

Purposes

Red blood cells (RBCs) are often subject to vibration during processing, transfusion, and transport. Further research is necessary to understand the effects of vibration on human RBCs and to reduce experimental deviations caused by device vibration.

Methods

Flow cytometry was used in this study to observe the cytokine expression of IgG and IgA and deformation of human red blood cells affected by the vibration of a vortex mixer with varying frequency (750 rpm and 1500 rpm), duration (5 min and 10 min), and container volume (96 well plate and 48 well plate).

Results

The size of RBCs in duration of 10 min is obviously smaller than the duration of 5 min. The 10-minute duration led to visibly smaller RBC sizes compared to the 5-minute duration. There was little effect on the size of RBCs in the 10-minute groups from differences in frequency and container volume. However, decreased RBC size can be observed in the 5-minute groups, where frequency is increased or container volume is decreased. Echinocytes were present in photomicrographs of all 10-minute groups, but microstructure of the RBCs was not impacted by vortex mixer vibration. The elevated frequency or reduced container volume results in an increased cytokine expression of IgG within the 5-minute groupings.

Conclusion

It can be inferred that vibration must not be overlooked due to its potential impact on the shape and cytokine expression of RBCs. Hence, the inclusion of vibration must be taken into consideration in experiments and devices pertaining to RBCs.