Effect of Catecholamines on Erythrocyte Mechanical Fragility

Erythrocyte mechanical fragility in cells incubated with epinephrine and norepinephrine at different concentrations (10-9 to 10-5 M) was compared with the values obtained from the control suspensions which did not contain catecholamines. Norepinephrine had no significant effect on the mechanical fragility at any of the concentrations, while epinephrine caused a significant increase in erythrocyte mechanical fragility at 10-7 M concentration. At higher or lower concentrations of epinephrine there were no significant changes in erythrocyte mechanical fragility. The response was dose dependent. Epinephrine may therefore play a role in affecting blood flow in the microcirculation by changing the deformability of red blood cells, in addition to its known effects on the vessel walls. Further study is required to determine the dominant adrenergic receptor in this effect.