Red blood cell membrane abnormalities during storage: correlation with in vivo survival.

Experiments with citrate-phosphate-dextrose supplemented with adenine, 0.5 mM final concentration (CPD-A2), provided an opportunity for study of red blood cells (RBC) membrane storage lesions which could limit extension of storage. Impairment in drug-induced endocytosis in intact RBC occurred with storage, but the changes produced did not quantitatively predict or reflect the 24-hour in vivo 51Cr-labelled RBC survival. Abnormalities in RBC membrane protein did appear after storage, but these alterations neither paralleled nor predicted the in vivo 24-hour 51Cr-labelled RBC survival. The RBC membrance protein changes were not reminiscent of those produced by either acute adenosine triphosphate depletion, oxidative attack, or calcium accumulation. Therefore, while storage produces significant alterations in RBC membrane protein and function, the changes detected were not those that determined in vivo RBC survival.