Affiliations: Cátedra de Biofísica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina | Departamento de Farmacia. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina
Note: [] Corresponding author: M.I. Spengler, Cátedra de Biofísica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, CP 2000, Rosario, Argentina. Tel.: +54 341 4804558, ext. 238; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: 6-O-alkyl ascorbic acid esters (ASCn) are amphiphilic molecules that behave as surfactants in aqueous solution. ASCn have shown some physical and rheological properties that suggest a potential utility as drug carriers. The present paper aims to evaluate the effect of ASCn on erythrocyte properties in order to get information regarding the relationship between osmotic fragility, erythrocyte deformability and membrane lipoperoxidation process. The assays were performed at the following concentrations: the critical micelar concentration (CMC), producing 10% hemolysis (CH10) and producing 50% hemolysis (CH50). We observed that ASCn (ASC8, ASC10 and ASC12), at concentration nearby CMC, neither affected cell deformability nor produced lipoperoxidation. Nevertheless, at higher concentrations (CH10 and CH50), the RBCs incubated with ASCn were affected by a significant and progressive loss of deformability, simultaneously with an increase of osmotic fragility and membrane lipoperoxidation.
