Apparent ionophoric effects of red blood cell deformation.

Normal human RBCs in vitro demonstrated increased utilization of ATP in when subjected to shear stress. Much of the increased ATP utilization appeared to be due to stimulation of membrane ion pumps. Thus, there was an apparent ionophoric effect of RBC deformation. Whether deformation-induced increases in membrane permeability occur in the circulation remains to be determined. It is suggested that in addition to chemically and electrically coupled channels, mechanically coupled "channels" may be modifiers of cellular functions under some conditions.