Fig. 2: Recovery of stored RBCs’ shear modulus.
From: Stiffness and ATP recovery of stored red blood cells in serum
a Shear modulus evolution of 2-week-old RBCs. PBS perfusion (blue line) did not cause RBCs to recover their shear modulus. With perfusion of 37 °C human serum (red line), the RBC shear modulus remained unchanged at 4.3 µN/m for 60 min; however, between 70–80 min, the shear modulus value continuously decreased. By 90 min, a steady state was reached, and the shear modulus became 2.7 µN/m. b Steady-state shear modulus values after 120 min of perfusion. With human serum perfusion, RBCs stored for 1 or 2 weeks were able to recover their shear modulus close to the level of fresh RBCs. Older RBCs (4–6-week-old) revealed limited capability of stiffness recovery. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.001. Error bars represent the standard deviation. For each condition, n = 1800–3000 RBCs
