Journal article
The Microrheology of Sickle Hemoglobin Gels
Biophysical journal, v 99(4), pp 1149-1156
09 Aug 2010
PMID: 20712998
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Sickle cell disease is a rheological disease, yet no quantitative rheological data exist on microscopic samples at physiological concentrations. We have developed a novel method for measuring the microrheology of sickle hemoglobin gels, based on magnetically driven compression of 5- to 8-μm-thick emulsions containing hemoglobin droplets ∼80 μm in diameter. Using our method, by observing the expansion of the droplet area as the emulsion is compressed, we were able to resolve changes in thickness of a few nanometers with temporal resolution of milliseconds. Gels were formed at various initial concentrations and temperatures and with different internal domain structure. All behaved as Hookean springs with Young's modulus from 300 to 1500 kPa for gels with polymerized hemoglobin concentration from 6 g/dl to 12 g/dl. For uniform, multidomain gels, Young's modulus mainly depended on the terminal concentration of the gel rather than the conditions of formation. A simple model reproduced the quadratic dependence of the Young's modulus on the concentration of polymerized hemoglobin. Partially desaturated samples also displayed quadratic concentration dependence but with a smaller proportionality coefficient, as did samples that were desaturated in steps; such samples were significantly less rigid than gels formed all at once. The magnitude of the Young's modulus provides quantitative support for the dominant models of sickle pathophysiology.
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Details
- Title
- The Microrheology of Sickle Hemoglobin Gels
- Creators
- Mikhail N Zakharov - Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAlexey Aprelev - Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaMatthew S Turner - Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, United KingdomFrank A Ferrone - Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Publication Details
- Biophysical journal, v 99(4), pp 1149-1156
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Physics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000281103200018
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-77958190233
- Other Identifier
- 991014877994304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biophysics