Dextran adsorption onto red blood cells revisited: single cell quantification by laser tweezers combined with microfluidics.

The aggregation of red blood cells (RBC) is of importance for hemorheology, while its mechanism remains debatable. The key question is the role of the adsorption of macromolecules on RBC membranes, which may act as "bridges" between cells. It is especially important that dextran is considered to induce "bridge"-less aggregation due to the depletion forces. We revisit the dextran-RBC interaction on the single cell level using the laser tweezers combined with microfluidic technology and fluorescence microscopy. An immediate sorption of ~104 molecules of 70 kDa dextran per cell was observed. During the incubation of RBC with dextran, a gradual tenfold increase of adsorption was found, accompanied by a moderate change in the RBC deformability. The obtained data demonstrate that dextran sorption and incubation-induced changes of the membrane properties must be considered when studying RBC aggregation in vitro.