Effect of Ethanol on the Hemolytic Stability of Erythrocytes

O. V. Tyulina^1*, M. J. Huentelman^2,3, V. D. Prokopjeva⁴, P. Johnson^2,5, and A. A. Boldyrev¹

¹The International Biotechnological Center and Center for Molecular Medicine of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119899 Russia; fax: (7-095) 939-1398; E-mail: olga@1.biocenter.bio.msu.ru

²Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA

³Interdisciplinary Program in the Biomedical Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

⁴Mental Health Research Institute, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Tomsk, 634014 Russia

⁵Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received April 6, 1999

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The stability of rabbit erythrocytes to hemolysis induced by different compounds in the presence or absence of ethanol or acetaldehyde has been analyzed. Ethanol slightly reduced erythrocyte stability against acidic hemolysis only after long-term preincubation, but the effect of ethanol on stability to oxidative hemolysis manifested itself immediately after its addition to the cells. Ethanol decreased both stability of cells to oxidative damage and dispersion of the hemolytic curve. Comparison of the effects of ethanol and acetaldehyde showed that the destabilizing effect of ethanol might be caused by either its direct action or the effect of its metabolites formed during preincubation of ethanol with erythrocytes. Possible mechanisms of ethanol and acetaldehyde effects on erythrocyte stability are discussed.

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KEY WORDS: erythrocytes, hemolysis, sodium hypochlorite, ethanol, acetaldehyde

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