Study of RBC shape transitions induced by nanoparticles

Identifier:  TDX:2969

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX2969

Authors:  Carneiro Dias, André Eduardo

Abstract:
This thesis describes the study of the properties of extracellular medium on the cryopreservation of red blood cells and the potential application of silica nanoparticles as co-agents for the intracellular delivery of trehalose, a natural cryoprotectant. The first part of the study focused on the freezing and thawing conditions, and on the properties of the extracellular medium for freezing. Different properties were analyzed according to their influence on the survival rate of red blood cells as assessed by hemolysis assay and the effect of freezing was analyzed by morphological analysis of images of red blood cells. The second part of the study investigates the interaction of differently charged silica nanoparticles with red blood cells for future application as co-agent for trehalose delivery. Silica nanoparticle toxicity was determined by hemolysis assay and their spatial distribution was studied by imaging freely floating red blood cells using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). A novel high-throughput 3D visualization method was developed and applied to LSCM images in order to correct the drift throughout the z-stack allowing the analysis of the images. Results were confirmed by interacting the silica nanoparticles with giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV) as an experimental model system.