CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE AND FRACTAL DIMENSION OF ERYTHROCYTES EXPOSED TO MAGNETITE NANOPARTICLES (AN ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPIC STUDY)

Objective - to study the basic morphometric characteristics of erythrocytes and to detect their changes after exposure to magnetite nanoparticles. Material and methods. Red blood cells of 23 healthy donors of both sexes aged 20 to 40 years were examined with the use of atomic force microscopy before and after incubation with magnetite nanoparticles for 60 min. Red blood cell diameter, height and fractal dimensions were measured. Results. Incubation with the magnetite nanoparticles caused structural changes in the red blood cells. The main transformed forms were spherocytes, echinocytes, codocytes, stomatocytes. A small amount of forms that could be hardly differented, had perforation of the membrane. Conclusion. Magnetite nanoparticles in sub-lethal concentration cause a significant increase in the number of irreversibly deformed erythrocyte forms. The most sensitive morphometric criterion for differentiating normocytes from all the transformed forms is erythrocyte fractality.

erythrocyte, atomic force microscopy, morphometry, fractality, magnetite nanoparticles