Affiliations: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London W2 1PG | PFSG, CBAMS, Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London SW7 2BY | Department of Respiratory Medicine, Brompton Hospital, London SW3 6LR
Abstract: A technique has been tested for producing maximal trypsin digestion of the glycocalyx of the human red cell as an aid for the study of the cellular factors that influence rouleaux formation. Measurements have been made of erythrocyte deformability, volume, electrophoretic mobility and dextran-induced aggregation (interpretted from low shear rate viscosity and microscopic observation) before and after trypsin treatment. While deformability and size were not affected, electrophoretic mobility fell and aggregation increased. It was found that the changes induced by trypsin were complete within about half an hour.
