3-D refractive index tomograms and deformability of individual human red blood cells from cord blood of newborn infants and maternal blood

摘要

Red blood cells (RBCs) from the cord blood of newborn infants havedistinctive functions for fetal and infant development. To systematicallyinvestigate the biophysical characteristics of individual cord RBCs in newborninfants, a comparative study was performed of RBCs from cord blood of newborninfants, and of adult RBCs from mothers or non-pregnant women, employingoptical holographic micro-tomography. Optical measurements of 3-D refractiveindex distributions, and of dynamic membrane fluctuations of individual RBCs,enabled retrieval of the morphological, biochemical, and mechanical propertiesof cord, maternal, and adult RBCs at the individual cell level. The volume andsurface area of the cord RBCs were significant larger than those of RBCs fromnon-pregnant women, and cord RBCs have more flattened shapes than RBCs inadults. In addition, the Hb content in the cord RBCs of newborns wassignificantly greater. The Hb concentration in cord RBCs was higher than fornon-pregnant women or maternal RBCs, but they were within the physiologicalrange of adults. Interestingly, the amplitude of dynamic membrane fluctuationsin cord RBCs were comparable to those in non-pregnant women and maternal RBCs,suggesting that the deformability of cord RBCs is similar to that of healthyRBCs in adults.