No abstract

When hypothermic storage of red blood cellsб there is a decrease in the level of glutathione and an increase in the concentration of homocysteine, at the same time, inclusion in the medium of substrate amino-acids of the synthesis of glutathione activates the utilization of this cytotoxin. Moreover, stimulation of the synthesis of glutathione reduces the loss of membrane proteins and lowers the intensity of hemoglobin oxidation that ensures the preservation of the osmotic stability of erythrocytes. Red blood cells as a component of the body redox homeostasis absorb and neutralize reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which normally determine a certain antioxidant potential and are not enough to maintain the structural and functional state of red blood cells after isolation from donor blood and storage. Oxidative stress in cells, including red blood cells, in various pathologies usually causes a decrease in the level of glutathione and an impairment of its synthesis that leads to an increase in the production of homocysteine ​​and its entry into the blood plasma. Homocysteine ​​is a cytotoxic amino acid that enhances the production of superoxide, limits the bioavailability of nitric oxide and causes the development of vascular pathology. The data presented in the review indicate that stimulation of the antioxidant potential of erythrocytes during the storage may prevent the development of oxidative stress and inflammation during subsequent transfusion. In addition, the preservation of the viability indicators of various cells during cryopreservation in a medium with substrate amino-acids shows that stimulation of the antioxidant potential contributes to an increase in the cell resistance to the damaging factors of freeze-thawing.