Effects of incubation pH on the membrane deformation of a single living human red blood cell

The effects of incubation pH on the morphology, the surface charge and the deformability of a single living human red blood cell (RBC) were studied. A novel multi-dimensional microscope was employed to perform real time, non-invasive in situ measurements on the cell shape and size, as well as the membrane bending and shearing elastic moduli of the cell. A phase-analysis micro-electrophoresis laser scattering technique was used to measure the surface charge density. It was shown that the incubation pH markedly influences the surface charge density and the membrane elastic properties of the RBCs and thus leads to a change in their morphology and deformability.