Hemorheological alterations of red blood cells induced by non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma

In this study, we investigated the effects of non-thermalplasma on rheological characteristics of red bloodcells (RBC). We experimentally measured the extent of hemolysis, deformability, andaggregation of red bloodcells (RBC) with respect to exposure times of non-thermalplasma. RBC morphology was also examined using field-emissionscanning electron microscopy. The absorbance of hemoglobin released from the RBCs increased with increasing exposure time of the non-thermalplasma. Values of the elongation index andaggregation index were shown to decrease significantly with increasingplasma exposure times. Therefore, hemorheological properties of RBCs could be utilized to assess the performance of various non-thermalplasmas.

Source: Applied Physics Letters - November 8, 2016 Category: Physics Authors: Jeongho Kim, Jae Hyung Kim, Boksoon Chang, Eun Ha Choi and Hun-Kuk Park Source Type: research