ALTERED COMPOSITION OF RED CELL MEMBRANE LIPIDS UNDER PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS COMPARISON OF HEMATOLOGICAL DISEASES WITH HEPATOBILIARY TRACT DISORDERS
Altered lipid composition of erythrocyte membrane in diseases was studied by use of Iatroscan analysis with the blood samples of 22 normal subjects, 97 patients with hepatobiliary disorders (acute hepatitis 9, chronic hepatitis 29, hepatic cirrhosis 32, hepatic cancer 14 and obstructive jaundice 13), and 54 patients with hematological diseases (iron deficiency anemia 33, hereditary spherocytosis 10, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria 2, hereditary elliptocytosis 3, autoimmune hemolytic anemia 2, spur cell anemia 2, and chorea-acanthocytosis 2). Scrutiny of the results obtained disclosed that there was a salient contrast in the deviated pattern of erythrocyte membrane composition between the hepatobiliary disorders and the hematological diseases. Namely, the erythrocyte membrane in hepatobiliary disorders are characterized by increased amount of total lipid and augmentation of free cholesterol which is distributed evenly between the inner and the outer laminas of the lipid double layer as well as rise in phosphatidyl choline which is mainly dispensed in outer lamina. As a result, lipids are contained in outer lamina more abundantly than in the inner lamina. (Increased resistance to hypo-osmolarity). Conversely, in hematological diseases decrease in the total amount of red cell membrane lipid especially in phosphatidyl ethanolamine which is the main constituent of the inner lamina of lipid bilayer is noted. Diminution of lipids was more evident in the inner lamina than the outer lamina of the lipid bilayer (Decreased resistance to hypo-osmolarity). On the basis of the result of this investigation some discussions were given about the possible relationship between the morphogenesis of poikilocytosis and the altered lipid composition of erythrocyte membrane.
