Abstract
The deformability of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from patients with type II diabetes, from elderly healthy, and from young healthy controls has been investigated by two techniques. Partial micropipette (i.d. 2.7–4.0 μm) aspiration of individual PMNs under constant aspiration pressure of 8 mm H20 and measurement of the aspirated length as a function of time (creep experiments) and filtration studies, using the Hemorheometer, of PMN suspensions (2.2·106 cells/ml) through 5 μm Nuclepore filters under 6 cm H20 driving pressure have been carried out.
The creep curves were similar in all three cases with both the diabetic and the elderly PMN showing a statistically significant decrease (p<0.001) from the control ones in deformability, while there was no significant difference between them. The initial filtration flow rate experiments (performed only on diabetic and control samples) exhibited a decreased deformability of the diabetics, which was not statistically different, however.
The increased rigidity of these leukocytes in diabetes and in ageing may be a contributing factor in the observed microvascular flow disturbances in these situations.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.