''Aged'' (dense) circulating red cells contain normal concentrations of ATP

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6230591· OSTI ID:6230591

Kirkpatrick, F. H.; Muhs, A. G.; Kostuk, R. K.; Gabel, C. W.

A newly-developed technique for determination of the ATP content of individual red cells to the densest, and hence presumably the oldest, cells from normal human blood was applied. It was found that these cells contain normal concentrations of ATP, although the net content of ATP is decreased. The essence of the technique is suspension of red cells in autologous plasma containing luciferin and luciferase, lysis of the cells with a pulse from a laser, and counting of the photoemissions resulting from reaction of the released ATP with the luciferase. These data appear to disprove the otherwise plausible hypothesis of Lichtman that red cells decline exponentially in ATP content as they age, by one of the suggested tests of this hypothesis. The data suggest an alternative hypothesis: red cells maintain an approximately constant concentration of ATP as they age, and red cell destruction is caused by factors other than cellular ATP.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-02-3490
• OSTI ID: 6230591
• Report Number(s): UR-3490-1543
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ATP
BIOCHEMISTRY
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ERYTHROCYTES
ABUNDANCE
AGE DEPENDENCE
BLOOD
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
LASERS
LUCIFERASE
LUCIFERIN
LYSIS
ALBUMINS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CHEMISTRY
ENZYMES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDASES
OXIDOREDUCTASES
PROTEINS
550200* - Biochemistry