ALTERED ERYTHROCYTE-MEMBRANE BAND-3 PROFILE AS A MARKER IN PATIENTS AT RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between a rise in blood neutrophil concentration and cellular and molecular changes of erythrocytes, among populations presenting an increased risk of cardio vascular disease (CVD), A population of men aged 20-65 years was used which included 22 post-myocardial infarction individuals (<48 h), 24 s urvivors of myocardial infarction (>3 months), 12 hypertensive individ uals and 29 individuals presenting normal heamatological values and no rmal lipid profile. The lipid profile parameters used to ascertain inc reased risk of CVD included triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (Cho l), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low-density lipoprote ins cholesterol (LDLc) and apolipoproteins Al (Ape Al) and B (Ape B). The hematological parameters measured were concentration of total whit e blood cells (WBC) and of the several leukocyte types; concentration of red blood cells (RBC); hematocrit (Ht); hemoglobin concentration (H b); mean cell volume (MCV); activity of erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphat e dehydrogenase (G6PD); band 3, its aggregates and fragments in erythr ocyte membranes, the percentage of membrane-bound hemoglobin (MBH), an d the linkage of immunoglobulin G (IgG) to erythrocyte membrane. We fo und that the MBH and the band 3 profile is different in control as com pared to pathological groups and that, as expected, the aggregation of band 3 promotes the linkage of IgG to the erythrocyte membrane. A neg ative correlation was shown between total neutrophils and both total R BCs and erythrocyte G6PD activity. We suggest that the erythrocyte, a cell that undergoes and accumulates oxidative and proteolytic damage a long its life span, may provide a useful model of oxidative and proteo lytic stress in CVD and that band 3 may represent a useful marker of t hat stress.