Red blood cell dysfunction: a new player in cardiovascular disease

Abstract

The primary role of red blood cells (RBCs) is to transport oxygen to the tissues and carbon dioxide to the lungs. However, emerging evidence suggests an important role of the RBC beyond being just a passive carrier of the respiratory gases. The RBCs are of importance for redox balance and are actively involved in the regulation of vascular tone, especially during hypoxic and ischaemic conditions by the release of nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity and adenosine triphosphate. The role of the RBC has gained further interest after recent discoveries demonstrating a markedly altered function of the cell in several pathological conditions. Such alterations include increased adhesion capability, increased formation of reactive oxygen species as well as altered protein content and enzymatic activities. Beyond signalling increased oxidative stress, the altered function of RBCs is characterized by reduced export of NO bioactivity regulated by increased arginase activity. Of further importance, the altered function of RBCs has important implications for several cardiovascular disease conditions. RBCs have been shown to induce endothelial dysfunction and to increase cardiac injury during ischaemia-reperfusion in diabetes mellitus. Finally, this new knowledge has led to novel therapeutic possibilities to intervene against cardiovascular disease by targeting signalling in the RBC. These novel data open up an entirely new view on the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms behind the cardiovascular disease processes in diabetes mellitus mediated by the RBC. This review highlights the current knowledge regarding the role of RBCs in cardiovascular regulation with focus on their importance for cardiovascular dysfunction in pathological conditions and therapeutic possibilities for targeting RBCs in cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular health care and health literacy among immigrants in Europe: a review of challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In addition to hypertension, rates of type 2 diabetes are higher in migrants (Meeks et al 2016 ). Diabetes is a key risk factor for CVD, and its management is difficult and usually long-term in nature (Pernow et al 2019 ). Strikingly, diabetes is more prevalent among virtually all ethnic migrant groups (Agyemang et al 2009 ; Sohail et al 2015 ).…”

Failure in the compensatory mechanism in red blood cells due to sustained smoking during pregnancy

“…This induced dysfunctionality can be prevented by inhibition of Arginase activity. 27,28 As it was mentioned above, an increase in Arginase-1 level results in an accelerated formation of O2˙-. One of the reasons behind this phenotype is Arginase-1 induced NOS3 uncoupling, where NOS3 produces O2˙-instead of NO, resulting in an imbalance of the redox homeostasis.…”

Dysregulation of miR144 and miR451 Expression in the Circulating Human Erythrocytes from the African American Adults

“…Autoxidation of hemoglobin makes RBCs more susceptible to oxidative stress (OS) damage [4]. Recent reports highlight the emerging role of RBCs in several biological processes of importance to metabolic functions, including diabetes mellitus and its complications [5,6]. These studies suggest that disturbances in RBC function and structure can promote oxidative stress and jeopardize antioxidant protection, resulting in red blood cell dysfunction and injury to peripheral tissues [5,7].…”

“…Recent reports highlight the emerging role of RBCs in several biological processes of importance to metabolic functions, including diabetes mellitus and its complications [5,6]. These studies suggest that disturbances in RBC function and structure can promote oxidative stress and jeopardize antioxidant protection, resulting in red blood cell dysfunction and injury to peripheral tissues [5,7]. Thus, RBCs provide an efficient and attractive means to identify markers and mechanisms of cell aging in the setting of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).…”