Biomechanical Testing of Human Red Blood Cells Under Controlled Oxygen Tension

Red blood cells are subjected to dynamic loads of shear and oxidative stresses when they traverse through the blood circulation system. Cell membranes are not only subjected to mechanical forces but also oxidative damage as a result of hypoxia. We develop an experimental strategy that can subject biological cells to well-controlled shear and gaseous microenvironment in a microfluidic device. Significant changes in cell deformability and relaxation characteristics due to variation in oxygen tension are observed and quantified. Our results demonstrate that hypoxia can lead to significant loss of deformability in red blood cells. The relationship between the membrane fatigue degradation and the repeated stressing conditions of blood circulation can be further investigated using the developed platform.