Promotion of whole blood rheology after vitamin C supplementation: focus on red blood cells

Abstract

Hemorheological properties represent significant contributors in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. As plasma vitamin C is inversely associated with blood viscosity in humans, we aimed to characterize the effect of vitamin C supplementation on hemorheology with an emphasis on erythrocyte functions. Twenty young healthy volunteers were asked to take vitamin C (1000 mg per day) for 3 weeks. We observed beneficial effect of intervention on multiple hemorheological parameters: whole blood viscosity in the range of medium to high shear rates, Casson yield stress, complex viscosity, and storage and loss moduli. As erythrocyte properties play a significant role in hemorheology, we characterized their deformability, nitric oxide production, and sodium pump activity in erythrocyte membranes. We can conclude that observed promotion in whole blood rheology may be consequence of improved erythrocyte functionality as concerns their ability to pass through narrow capillaries of the microcirculation, nitric oxide production, and sodium pump activity. Parameters reflecting oxidative stress and antioxidant status in plasma were not affected by our intervention. As improvement in hemorheology may play an important role in cardioprotection, it would be challenging to investigate the vitamin C supplementation to patients suffering from microcirculatory disturbances and worsened organ perfusion in the case of cardiovascular diseases.

Influence of Vitamin C on Antioxidant Capacity of In Vitro Perfused Porcine Kidneys

“…The most prominent effect of vitamin C we observed, aside from the increased antioxidant capacity, was the preservation of the red blood cell (RBC) count, which was significantly decreased in the control group. Stabilizing effects of vitamin C on packed whole blood was recently described [32], as well as beneficial effects on the rheology of RBCs, which were able to pass constricted blood vessels during impaired microcirculation when treated with vitamin C [33]. We assume that the effect of vitamin C on the RBCs is one of the main effects which might contribute to improved kidney function during in vitro kidney perfusion, especially as a counterpart to the impaired microcirculation in I/R-settings, but the exact mechanisms have to be further elucidated.…”

Beneficial Effect of Quercetin on Erythrocyte Properties in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

“…RBC deformability was determined using a filtration method as described previously [ 30 ]. RBCs were washed three times in saline solution.…”

“…As an indicator of NO presence, DAF-2 DA was used similarly as in our previous study [ 30 ]. Whole blood was diluted 1:9 ( v : v ) in modified physiological salt solution (in mmol/L: NaCl 118.99, KCl 4.69, NaHCO 3 25, MgSO 4 .7H 2 O 1.17, KH 2 PO 4 1.18, CaCl 2 .2H 2 O 2.5, Na 2 EDTA 0.03, glucose 5.5, pH 7.4, all reagents provided by Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) and treated with DAF-2 DA (25 μmol/L, Abcam, Cambridge, UK) at room temperature for 10 min in the dark.…”

Ultra-Small Superparamagnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles Exert Different Effects on Erythrocytes in Normotensive and Hypertensive Rats

“…4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate (DAF-2 DA) was used as an indicator of NO presence. Measurements were executed as described previously [8]. Briefly, the whole blood was diluted 1:9 in modified saline solution (in mmol/l: NaCl 118.99, KCl 4.69, NaHCO 3 EDTA 0.03, glucose 5.5, and pH 7.4), treated with DAF-2 DA (25 µmoL/L, Abcam, Cambridge, UK) and incubated at room temperature in the dark for 10 min.…”

“…Additionally, RBC deformability is responsible for non-Newtonian behavior of blood, thus lowering blood viscosity in large vessels [5]. RBC deformability is determined by many factors, such as maintaining the ionic homeostasis or the production of nitric oxide (NO) by RBCs themselves [3,[6][7][8]. It is possible as RBCs possess functional endothelial NO synthase.…”