Determination of erythrocyte transit times through micropores. I--Basic operational principles.

To study the transit times of each red blood cell passing through cylindrical micropores and in order to evaluate sub-population of cells with regard to their deformability, we have developed a new system called the cell transit time analyser (CTTA). By using an AC voltage (100 KHz) across a special filter, we measure the electrical conductance change produced by the cells passing through the pores under a known driving pressure. This computer based device provides the distribution of transit times tau for 2000 cells in 1 minute and as a result the mean transit time [tau]. Experiments with red cells were designed to evaluate the flow behavior of both normal cells and cells whose mechanical properties were artificially altered. Cell volume was changed by use of non-isotonic media. Cell shape and cell volume were modified by varying the pH of the suspending buffer. Results of these experiments are: 1) a skew distribution of transit times towards high tau values for both control cells and artificially altered cells is observed: 2) [tau] is minimum for isotonic conditions and increases sharply for either hypotonic or hypertonic media: 3) [tau] is minimum at physiological pH and increases for either acid or alcaline changes of pH.