Effect of chronic administration of vitamin E on the hemopoietic system in hypercholesterolemia

Sex-Specific Differences of Adenosine Triphosphate Levels in Red Blood Cells Isolated From ApoE/LDLR Double-Deficient Mice

In this study for the first time, we investigated the correlation between sex-specific differences in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in red blood cells (RBCs) and their mechanical, biochemical, and morphological alterations during the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE/LDLR double-deficient (ApoE/LDLR^−/−) mice. Our results indicate that both sex and age affect alterations in RBCs of both ApoE/LDLR^−/− and C57BL/6J mice. When compared with male RBCs, female RBCs were characterized by lower basal ATP and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), higher hemoglobin concentration (HGB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), deformability, and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure levels, regardless of age in both, ApoE/LDLR^−/− and C57BL/6J mice. ApoE/LDLR^−/− mice compared with age-matched controls showed lower basal ATP levels regardless of age and sex. Intracellular ATP level of RBCs was decreased solely in senescent female C57BL/6J mice, while it was elevated in males. Basal extracellular ATP levels were 400 times lower than corresponding intracellular level. In conclusion, basal ATP levels, RBC morphology, deformability, PS exposure levels alterations are sex-dependent in mice. Changes in basal ATP levels were correlated with PS exposure and trends of changes in MCV. Trends of changes of the most RBC parameters were similar in both sexes of ApoE/LDLR^−/− mice compared with age-matched controls; however, their kinetics and levels vary greatly between different stages of disease progression.

Toward a Blood-Borne Biomarker of Chronic Hypoxemia: Red Cell Distribution Width and Respiratory Disease

Hypoxemia (systemic oxygen desaturation) marks the presence, risk, and progression of many diseases. Episodic or nocturnal hypoxemia can be challenging to detect and quantify. A sensitive, specific, and convenient marker of recent oxygen desaturation represents an unmet medical need. Observations of acclimatization to high altitude in humans and animals reveals several proteosomic, ventilatory, and hematological responses to low oxygen tension. Of these, increased red cell distribution width (RDW) appears to have the longest persistence. Literature review and analyses of a 2M patient database across the full disease pathome revealed that increased RDW is predictive of poor outcome for certain diseases including many if not all hypoxigenic conditions. Comprehensive review of diseases impacting the respiratory axis show many are associated with increased RDW and no apparent counterexamples. The mechanism linking RDW to outcome is unknown. Conjectural roles for iron deficiency, inflammation, and oxidative stress have not been born out experimentally. Sports-doping studies show that erythropoietin (EPO) injection can induce formation of unusually large red blood cells (RBC) in sufficient numbers to increase RDW. Because endogenous EPO responds strongly to hypoxemia, this molecule could potentially mediate a long-lived RDW response to low oxygenation. RDW may be a guidepost signaling that unexploited information is embedded in subtle RBC variation. Applying modern techniques of measurement and analysis to certain RBC characteristics may yield a more specific and sensitive marker of chronic pulmonary and circulatory diseases, sleep apnea, and opioid inhibition of breathing.