ABSTRACT Using the threshold changes in the electric admittance of human red blood cells (RBCs) at the temperature of spectrin dissociation and denaturation, two single-time dielectric relaxations, βsp (1.4 MHz) and γ1sp (9 MHz), were detected on the spectrin network (sub-membrane skeleton). For the first time, these relaxations were here studied in RBCs with hereditary anemia. The strengths of βsp and γ1sp relaxations and the characteristic frequency, fγ1sp, of γ1sp relaxation had the same values in RBCs of healthy patients (n=9) and of patients with hemoglobinopathy (n=5). Compared to the RBCs of healthy patients, the strengths of βsp and γ1sp relaxations in RBCs of children with severe sings of hereditary spherocytosis, due to spectrin deficiency (n=2), were reduced by about 70%, while fγ1sp was reduced by 33%. In RBCs of children with milder sings of hereditary spherocytosis, due to spectrin deficiency (n=6), the diminutions of the strengths of βsp and γ1sp relaxations and of fγ1sp were weaker and occupied intermediate values between those of control RBCs and RBCs with severe signs of hereditary spherocytosis. Compared to the RBCs of healthy patients, the strengths of βsp and γ1sp relaxations in RBCs of patients with anemia due to band 3 deficiency (n=2) were reduced by about 50%, while fγ1sp was not changed. In conclusion, the βsp and γ1sp dielectric relaxations on RBC spectrin network represent a useful approach in studying the RBC membrane of patients with different membranopathy anemia.
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