Abstract
Erythrocytes, the most abundant cells in the human body, are well known for the essential part they play in oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) transport. Less appreciated are their more subtle functions including context responsive vascular signaling (regulating vascular smooth muscle tone as a function of O2-sensitive processing of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) [1, 2], reactive oxygen species (ROS) [3], and metabolites of adenosine [4]), and of most relevance to this review—the detoxification of damaging oxidants [5, 6]. A number of factors allow erythrocytes to fulfill these essential functions: their ubiquitous distribution, high turnover (a desirable attribute for a detoxification unit [6]), highly evolved structure/composition, and perhaps most important their metabolic specialization, which is dedicated to maintaining reversible O2 binding capacity and redox homeostasis in blood [7]. Herein, we will review features of erythrocyte metabolism relevant to antioxidant systems as well as perturbations of these systems in congenital and acquired disease that affect erythrocyte function.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Abbreviations
- 2,3-BPG:
-
2,3-Bisphosphoglycerate
- ATP:
-
Adenosine triphosphate
- Cat:
-
Catalase
- cdB3:
-
Cytoplasmic domain of Band 3
- CO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide
- DHA:
-
Dehydroascorbic acid
- EMP:
-
Embden Meyerhof pathway
- G6P:
-
Glucose-6-phosphate
- G6PD:
-
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
- GAPDH:
-
Glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase
- GLUT-1:
-
Glucose transporter 1
- GR:
-
Glutathione reductase
- GSH:
-
l-y-Glutamyl-l-cysteinylglycine
- GSHPx:
-
Glutathione peroxidase
- GSSG:
-
Glutathione disulfide
- H2O2 :
-
Hydrogen peroxide
- Hb:
-
Hemoglobin
- HbS:
-
Hemoglobin S
- HMP:
-
Hexose monophosphate pathway
- HO• :
-
Hydroxyl radical
- LDH:
-
Lactate dehydrogenase
- metHb:
-
Methemoglobin
- metHbR:
-
Methemoglobin reductase
- NADH:
-
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
- NADPH:
-
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
- NO• :
-
Nitric oxide
- O2 :
-
Oxygen
- O2 − :
-
Superoxide
- PK:
-
Pyruvate kinase
- PMOR:
-
Plasma membrane oxidoreductases
- Prx:
-
Periredoxin
- RBC:
-
Red blood cell
- RNS:
-
Reactive nitrogen species
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- SCD:
-
Sickle cell disease
- SOD:
-
Superoxide dismutase
- TrxR:
-
Thioredoxin reductase
References
Singel DJ, Stamler JS (2005) Chemical physiology of blood flow regulation by red blood cells: the role of nitric oxide and S-nitrosohemoglobin. Annu Rev Physiol 67:99–145
Doctor A, Stamler JS (2011) Nitric oxide transport in blood: a third gas in the respiratory cycle. Compr Physiol 1:541–568
Buehler PW, Alayash AI (2004) Oxygen sensing in the circulation: “cross talk” between red blood cells and the vasculature. Antioxid Redox Signal 6:1000–1010
Ellsworth ML et al (2009) Erythrocytes: oxygen sensors and modulators of vascular tone. Physiology (Bethesda) 24:107–116
Buehler PW, Alayash AI (2005) Redox biology of blood revisited: the role of red blood cells in maintaining circulatory reductive capacity. Antioxid Redox Signal 7:1755–1760
Richards RS, Roberts TK, McGregor NR, Dunstan RH, Butt HL (1998) The role of erythrocytes in the inactivation of free radicals. Med Hypotheses 50:363–367
Siems WG, Sommerburg O, Grune T (2000) Erythrocyte free radical and energy metabolism. Clin Nephrol 53:S9–S17
Volpe EP (1993) Blood and circulation. McGraw-Hill College, Columbus
Hattangadi SM, Lodish HF (2007) Regulation of erythrocyte lifespan: do reactive oxygen species set the clock? J Clin Invest 117:2075–2077
Seda Artis SAS (2012) Carnosine and its role on the erythrocyte rheology. In: Seda Artis A (ed) Hemodynamics—new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. InTech Europe, Croatia
Bosman GJ, Willekens FL, Werre JM (2005) Erythrocyte aging: a more than superficial resemblance to apoptosis? Cell Physiol Biochem 16:1–8
Smith C, Marks AD, Lieberman M (2005) Mark’s basic medical biochemistry. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia
Campanella ME, Chu H, Low PS (2005) Assembly and regulation of a glycolytic enzyme complex on the human erythrocyte membrane. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:2402–2407
Rogers SC et al (2009) Hypoxia limits antioxidant capacity in red blood cells by altering glycolytic pathway dominance. FASEB J 9:3159–3170
Cimen MY (2008) Free radical metabolism in human erythrocytes. Clin Chim Acta 390:1–11
Chakrabarti A et al (2011) Differential expression of red cell proteins in hemoglobinopathy. Proteomics Clin Appl 5:98–108
Rifkind JM, Nagababu E (2013) Hemoglobin redox reactions and red blood cell aging. Antioxid Redox Signal 18:2274–2283
Bhattacharya D, Mukhopadhyay D, Chakrabarti A (2007) Hemoglobin depletion from red blood cell cytosol reveals new proteins in 2-D gel-based proteomics study. Proteomics Clin Appl 1:561–564
Rapoport SM, Dubiel W, Maretzki D, Siems W (1985) In: Proceedings of the 16th FEBS meeting, Part A. VNU Science Press, Utrecht, pp 165–176
Baldwin SA, Lienhard GE (1989) Purification and reconstitution of glucose transporter from human erythrocytes. Methods Enzymol 174:39–50
Prchal JT et al (1990) Congenital methemoglobinemia due to methemoglobin reductase deficiency in two unrelated American black families. Am J Med 89:516–522
Mustacich D, Powis G (2000) Thioredoxin reductase. Biochem J 346(Pt 1):1–8
Telen MJ, Kaufman RE (1999) The mature erythrocyte. In: Greer JP, Foerster J (eds) Clinical hematology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, pp 217–247
van Wijk R, van Solinge WW (2005) The energy-less red blood cell is lost: erythrocyte enzyme abnormalities of glycolysis. Blood 106:4034–4042
Harrison ML, Rathinavelu P, Arese P, Geahlen RL, Low PS (1991) Role of band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation in the regulation of erythrocyte glycolysis. J Biol Chem 266:4106–4111
Low PS, Rathinavelu P, Harrison ML (1993) Regulation of glycolysis via reversible enzyme binding to the membrane protein, band 3. J Biol Chem 268:14627–14631
Messana I et al (1996) Human erythrocyte metabolism is modulated by the O2-linked transition of hemoglobin. FEBS Lett 390:25–28
Castagnola M, Messana I, Sanna MT, Giardina B (2010) Oxygen-linked modulation of erythrocyte metabolism: state of the art. Blood Transfus 8(suppl 3):s53–s58
De Rosa MC, Alinovi CC, Galtieri A, Russo A, Giardina B (2008) Allosteric properties of hemoglobin and the plasma membrane of the erythrocyte: new insights in gas transport and metabolic modulation. IUBMB Life 60:87–93
Tsai IH, Murthy SN, Steck TL (1982) Effect of red cell membrane binding on the catalytic activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. J Biol Chem 257:1438–1442
Solti M, Friedrich P (1976) Partial reversible inactivation of enzymes due to binding to the human erythrocyte membrane. Mol Cell Biochem 10:145–152
Walder JA et al (1984) The interaction of hemoglobin with the cytoplasmic domain of band 3 of the human erythrocyte membrane. J Biol Chem 259:10238–10246
Lewis IA, Campanella ME, Markley JL, Low PS (2009) Role of band 3 in regulating metabolic flux of red blood cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:18515–18520
Albrecht V, Roigas H, Schultze M, Jacobasch G, Rapoport S (1971) The influence of pH and methylene blue on the pathways of glucose utilization and lactate formation in erythrocytes of man. Eur J Biochem 20:44–50
Gaetani GD, Parker JC, Kirkman HN (1974) Intracellular restraint: a new basis for the limitation in response to oxidative stress in human erythrocytes containing low-activity variants of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 71:3584–3587
Thorburn DR, Kuchel PW (1985) Regulation of the human-erythrocyte hexose-monophosphate shunt under conditions of oxidative stress. A study using NMR spectroscopy, a kinetic isotope effect, a reconstituted system and computer simulation. Eur J Biochem 150:371–386
Galiano S, Mareni C, Gaetani GF (1978) Effect of haemolysis on the hexose monophosphate pathway in normal and in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient erythrocytes. Biochim Biophys Acta 501:1–9
Morelli A et al (1979) In vitro correction of erythrocyte glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Arch Biochem Biophys 197:543–550
Roigas H, Zoellner E, Jacobasch G, Schultze M, Rapoport S (1970) Regulatory factors in methylene blue catalysis in erythrocytes. Eur J Biochem 12:24–30 (in German)
Forman HJ, Fukuto JM, Torres M (2004) Redox signaling: thiol chemistry defines which reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can act as second messengers. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 287:C246–C256
Beckman JS, Crow JP (1993) Pathological implications of nitric oxide, superoxide and peroxynitrite formation. Biochem Soc Trans 21:330–334
Low FM, Hampton MB, Winterbourn CC (2008) Peroxiredoxin 2 and peroxide metabolism in the erythrocyte. Antioxid Redox Signal 10:1621–1630
Winterbourn CC (1990) Oxidative denaturation in congenital hemolytic anemias: the unstable hemoglobins. Semin Hematol 27:41–50
Rifkind JM, Ramasamy S, Manoharan PT, Nagababu E, Mohanty JG (2004) Redox reactions of hemoglobin. Antioxid Redox Signal 6:657–666
Winterbourn CC, Stern A (1987) Human red cells scavenge extracellular hydrogen peroxide and inhibit formation of hypochlorous acid and hydroxyl radical. J Clin Invest 80:1486–1491
van Asbeck BS et al (1985) Protection against lethal hyperoxia by tracheal insufflation of erythrocytes: role of red cell glutathione. Science 227:756–759
Fujino T, Tada T, Hosaka T, Beppu M, Kikugawa K (2000) Presence of oxidized protein hydrolase in human cell lines, rat tissues, and human/rat plasma. J Biochem 127:307–313
Fujino T, Tada T, Beppu M, Kikugawa K (1998) Purification and characterization of a serine protease in erythrocyte cytosol that is adherent to oxidized membranes and preferentially degrades proteins modified by oxidation and glycation. J Biochem 124:1077–1085
Elahian F, Sepehrizadeh Z, Moghimi B, Mirzaei SA (2012) Human cytochrome b5 reductase: structure, function, and potential applications. Crit Rev Biotechnol; Early online 1–11
Masella R, Di Benedetto R, Vari R, Filesi C, Giovannini C (2005) Novel mechanisms of natural antioxidant compounds in biological systems: involvement of glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes. J Nutr Biochem 16:577–586
Lunn G, Dale GL, Beutler E (1979) Transport accounts for glutathione turnover in human erythrocytes. Blood 54:238–244
Srivastava SK, Beutler E (1969) The transport of oxidized glutathione from human erythrocytes. J Biol Chem 244:9–16
Miller NJ, Sampson J, Candeias LP, Bramley PM, Rice-Evans CA (1996) Antioxidant activities of carotenes and xanthophylls. FEBS Lett 384:240–242
Miyazawa T, Nakagawa K, Miyazawa T (2012) Liquid chromatography-based assay for carotenoids in human blood. In: Preedy VR (ed) Vitamin A and carotenoids: chemistry, analysis, function and effects. RSC Publishing, Cambridge
Buettner GR (1993) The pecking order of free radicals and antioxidants: lipid peroxidation, alpha-tocopherol, and ascorbate. Arch Biochem Biophys 300:535–543
Constantinescu A, Han D, Packer L (1993) Vitamin E recycling in human erythrocyte membranes. J Biol Chem 268:10906–10913
Mendiratta S, Qu ZC, May JM (1998) Erythrocyte ascorbate recycling: antioxidant effects in blood. Free Radic Biol Med 24:789–797
Hughes RE, Maton SC (1968) The passage of vitamin C across the erythrocyte membrane. Br J Haematol 14:247–253
Bianchi J, Rose RC (1986) Glucose-independent transport of dehydroascorbic acid in human erythrocytes. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 181:333–337
Wagner ES, White W, Jennings M, Bennett K (1987) The entrapment of [14C]ascorbic acid in human erythrocytes. Biochim Biophys Acta 902:133–136
Ebadi M (1993) Multiple pineal receptors in regulating melatonin synthesis. In: Yu HS, Reiter RJ (eds) Melatonin: biosynthesis, physiological effects, and clinical applications. CRC Press, Boca Raton
Marshall KA, Reiter RJ, Poeggeler B, Aruoma OI, Halliwell B (1996) Evaluation of the antioxidant activity of melatonin in vitro. Free Radic Biol Med 21:307–315
Tan DX et al (2000) Melatonin directly scavenges hydrogen peroxide: a potentially new metabolic pathway of melatonin biotransformation. Free Radic Biol Med 29:1177–1185
Poeggeler B et al (1994) Melatonin—a highly potent endogenous radical scavenger and electron donor: new aspects of the oxidation chemistry of this indole accessed in vitro. Ann N Y Acad Sci 738:419–420
Reiter RJ (1998) Oxidative damage in the central nervous system: protection by melatonin. Prog Neurobiol 56:359–384
Reiter RJ et al (2003) Melatonin as an antioxidant: biochemical mechanisms and pathophysiological implications in humans. Acta Biochim Pol 50:1129–1146
Cappellini MD, Fiorelli G (2008) Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. Lancet 371:64–74
Ho HY, Cheng ML, Chiu DT (2007) Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase—from oxidative stress to cellular functions and degenerative diseases. Redox Rep 12:109–118
Hecker PA, Leopold JA, Gupte SA, Recchia FA, Stanley WC (2013) Impact of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency on the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 304:H491–H500
Watchko JF, Lin Z (2010) Exploring the genetic architecture of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med 15:169–175
Mason PJ, Bautista JM, Gilsanz F (2007) G6PD deficiency: the genotype-phenotype association. Blood Rev 21:267–283
Zanella A, Fermo E, Bianchi P, Chiarelli LR, Valentini G (2007) Pyruvate kinase deficiency: the genotype-phenotype association. Blood Rev 21:217–231
Zanella A, Fermo E, Bianchi P, Valentini G (2005) Red cell pyruvate kinase deficiency: molecular and clinical aspects. Br J Haematol 130:11–25
Zanella A, Bianchi P (2000) Red cell pyruvate kinase deficiency: from genetics to clinical manifestations. Baillieres Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 13:57–81
Chirico EN, Pialoux V (2012) Role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of sickle cell disease. IUBMB Life 64:72–80
Hebbel RP, Morgan WT, Eaton JW, Hedlund BE (1988) Accelerated autoxidation and heme loss due to instability of sickle hemoglobin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 85:237–241
Platt OS, Falcone JF (1995) Membrane protein interactions in sickle red blood cells: evidence of abnormal protein 3 function. Blood 86:1992–1998
Shaklai N, Sharma VS (1980) Kinetic study of the interaction of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobins with the erythrocyte membrane. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 77:7147–7151
Rogers SC et al (2013) Sickle hemoglobin disturbs normal coupling among erythrocyte O2 content, glycolysis, and antioxidant capacity. Blood 121:1651–1662
Nur E et al (2011) Oxidative stress in sickle cell disease; pathophysiology and potential implications for disease management. Am J Hematol 86:484–489
Kato GJ, Gladwin MT, Steinberg MH (2007) Deconstructing sickle cell disease: reappraisal of the role of hemolysis in the development of clinical subphenotypes. Blood Rev 21:37–47
Natta CL, Machlin LJ, Brin M (1980) A decrease in irreversibly sickled erythrocytes in sickle cell anemia patients given vitamin E. Am J Clin Nutr 33:968–971
Amer J et al (2006) Red blood cells, platelets and polymorphonuclear neutrophils of patients with sickle cell disease exhibit oxidative stress that can be ameliorated by antioxidants. Br J Haematol 132:108–113
Pfeifer WP et al (2008) Vitamin E supplementation reduces oxidative stress in beta thalassaemia intermedia. Acta Haematol 120:225–231
Scott MD et al (1993) Effect of excess alpha-hemoglobin chains on cellular and membrane oxidation in model beta-thalassemic erythrocytes. J Clin Invest 91:1706–1712
Dhawan V, Kumar KR, Marwaha RK, Ganguly NK (2005) Antioxidant status in children with homozygous thalassemia. Indian Pediatr 42:1141–1145
Huet O et al (2007) Plasma-induced endothelial oxidative stress is related to the severity of septic shock. Crit Care Med 35:821–826
Wheeler DS (2011) Oxidative stress in critically ill children with sepsis. Open Inflamm J 4:74–81
Dyson A et al (2011) An integrated approach to assessing nitroso-redox balance in systemic inflammation. Free Radic Biol Med 51:1137–1145
Droge W (2002) Free radicals in the physiological control of cell function. Physiol Rev 82:47–95
Petropoulos IK, Margetis PI, Antonelou MH, Koliopoulos JX, Gartaganis SP, Margaritis LH, Papassideri IS (2007) Structural alterations of the erythrocyte membrane proteins in diabetic retinopathy. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 245:1179–1188
Gaczynska M, Judkiewicz L, Szosland K (1993) Abnormal degradation of red cell membrane proteins in diabetes. Cytobios 75:7–11
Carroll J et al (2006) An altered oxidant defense system in red blood cells affects their ability to release nitric oxide-stimulating ATP. Mol Biosyst 2:305–311
Bono A, Caimi G, Catania A, Sarno A, Pandolfo L (1987) Red cell peroxide metabolism in diabetes mellitus. Horm Metab Res 19:264–266
Dincer Y, Akcay T, Alademir Z, Ilkova H (2002) Effect of oxidative stress on glutathione pathway in red blood cells from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Metabolism 51:1360–1362
Thornalley PJ, McLellan AC, Lo TW, Benn J, Sonksen PH (1996) Negative association between erythrocyte reduced glutathione concentration and diabetic complications. Clin Sci 91:575–582
Jiang M et al (2003) Protein disregulation in red blood cell membranes of type 2 diabetic patients. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 309:196–200
Jain SK, McVie R, Duett J, Herbst JJ (1989) Erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation and glycosylated hemoglobin in diabetes. Diabetes 38:1539–1543
Xu Y, Osborne BW, Stanton RC (2005) Diabetes causes inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase via activation of PKA, which contributes to oxidative stress in rat kidney cortex. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 289:F1040–F1047
Blakytny R, Harding JJ (1992) Glycation (non-enzymic glycosylation) inactivates glutathione reductase. Biochem J 288(Pt 1):303–307
The relationship of glycemic exposure (HbA1c) to the risk of development and progression of retinopathy in the diabetes control and complications trial (1995). Diabetes 44:968–983
Effect of intensive diabetes management on macrovascular events and risk factors in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (1995). Am J Cardiol 75:894–903
Ceriello A et al (1991) Vitamin E reduction of protein glycosylation in diabetes. New prospect for prevention of diabetic complications? Diabetes Care 14:68–72
Varvarovska J et al (2004) Aspects of oxidative stress in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Biomed Pharmacother 58:539–545
Lee L, Sanders RA (2012) Metabolic syndrome. Pediatr Rev 33:459–466; quiz 467–458
Hutcheson R, Rocic P (2012) The metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress, environment, and cardiovascular disease: the great exploration. Exp Diabetes Res 2012:271028
Goodwill AG, Frisbee JC (2012) Oxidant stress and skeletal muscle microvasculopathy in the metabolic syndrome. Vasc Pharmacol 57:150–159
Ziobro A, Duchnowicz P, Mulik A, Koter-Michalak M, Broncel M (2013) Oxidative damages in erythrocytes of patients with metabolic syndrome. Mol Cell Biochem 378:267–273
Himmelfarb J, Hakim RM (2003) Oxidative stress in uremia. Current Opin Nephrol Hypertens 12:593–598
Rutkowski P et al (2006) Interrelationship between uremic toxicity and oxidative stress. J Ren Nutr 16:190–193
Suzuki D, Miyata T, Kurokawa K (2001) Carbonyl stress. Contrib Nephrol 134:36–45
Floccari F et al (2005) Oxidative stress and uremia. Med Res Rev 25:473–486
Yilmaz MI et al (2009) Hemoglobin is inversely related to flow-mediated dilatation in chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int 75:1316–1321
Doctor A, Spinella P (2012) Effect of processing and storage on red blood cell function in vivo. Semin Perinatol 36:248–259
Spinella PC, Doctor A, Blumberg N, Holcomb JB (2011) Does the storage duration of blood products affect outcomes in critically ill patients? Transfusion 51:1644–1650
Kanias T, Acker JP (2010) Biopreservation of red blood cells—the struggle with hemoglobin oxidation. FEBS J 277:343–356
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rogers, S., Silva, M., Doctor, A. (2014). Hematologic Disorders. In: Tsukahara, H., Kaneko, K. (eds) Studies on Pediatric Disorders. Oxidative Stress in Applied Basic Research and Clinical Practice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0679-6_21
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0679-6_21
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0678-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0679-6
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)