Effect of Additions to ACD Blood on Erythrocyte Preservation. ∗

Abstract

Summary

1. Based on the working hypothesis that the deterioration of erythrocytes during storage may be due to enzymatic processes affecting the cell membrane, experiments were carried out in which a variety of compounds known to modify enzymatic reactions were added to ACD blood. The effect of these additions on the rate of development of osmotic fragility (hemolysis in 0.6% NaCl solution) was determined. 2. The “in vitro survival time” (resistance toward 0.6% NaCl solution) of red cells was considerably shortened by a number of compounds, for example by sodium fluoride, which also prevented the utilization of glucose, delayed the rate of increase of inorganic phosphate during storage, but had no effect on the gradual increase of plasma potassium concentrations. 3. The most promising results in retarding the development of osmotic fragility were obtained with 10- (2 -dimethylamino-propyl) phenothia-zine. ACD blood from 55 donors showed on exposure to 0.6% NaCl solution after 21 days storage 5 to 23%, and after 42 days 20 to 58% hemolysis. The addition of the pheno-thiazine derivative (0.4 mM/1 blood) retarded the development of osmotic fragility considerably, so that after 21 days there was observed 0.4 to 4%, after 42 days 0.6 to 4.5%, and after 90 days 26 to 39% hemolysis when the blood samples were added to 200 volumes of 0.6%c NaCl solution.