EFFECT OF TRIACYLGLYCEROLS ON ERYTHROCYTE DEFORMABILITY INVITRO

With Reid's filtration technique as a bioassay for evaluating red bloo d cell (RBC) deformability, we found that tripalmitolein, triolein and trilinolein improved the deformability of calcium-loaded RBC while gl ycerol, linoleic acid, dilinoleoyl phosphatidyl choline, trilpalmitin, tristearin, trilinolenin and triarachidonin did not. Maximal effect o f tripalmitolein, triolein and trilinolein was achieved at 10(-9), 10( -10) and 10(-8) M respectively. We propose that only those triacylglyc erols which contain fatty acids with one or two double bonds could mod ify RBC membrane fluidity and improve RBC deformability.