Abstract
Isolated and washed human erythrocytes were incubated with various concentrations of nitrate, nitrite or trinitrine. Erythrocyte deformability based on filtration index, membrane chemical composition evaluated with free cholesterol (FC), phospholipids (PL) and proteins, and erythrocyte changes in methemoglobin, malondialdehyde, cAMP and cGMP productions were the parameters investigated thereafter. Nitrate and trinitrine have improved erythrocyte deformability, effect related to modified (FC+PL)/proteins ratios and likely enhanced protein binding to membrane while nitrite has induced a hig methemoglobinemia that may have blotted out this positive effect.
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