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The effects of lithium on human red blood cells studied using optical spectroscopy and laser trap

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Abstract

Lithium has been the treatment of choice for patients with bipolar disorder. However, lithium overdose happens more frequently since it has a very narrow therapeutic range in blood, necessitating investigation of its adverse effects on blood cells. The possible changes that lithium exposure may have on functional and morphological characteristics of human red blood cells (RBCs) have been studied ex vivo using single-cell Raman spectroscopy, optical trapping, and membrane fluorescent probe. The Raman spectroscopy was performed with excitation at 532 nm light, which also results in simultaneous photoreduction of intracellular hemoglobin (Hb). The level of photoreduction of lithium-exposed RBCs was observed to decline with lithium concentration, indicating irreversible oxygenation of intracellular Hb from lithium exposure. The lithium exposure may also have an effect on RBC membrane, which was investigated via optical stretching in a laser trap and the results suggest lower membrane fluidity for the lithium-exposed RBCs. The membrane fluidity of RBCs was further studied using the Prodan generalized polarization method and the results verify the reduction of membrane fluidity upon lithium exposure.

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Data availability

The experimental data generated and analyzed during the present study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Authors like to thank Dr. S. P. Jaiswal for providing the blood samples from Choithram Hospital and Research Centre, Indore. Yashveer Singh acknowledges the financial support by Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India and Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, India

    Yashveer Singh, Aniket Chowdhury, Raktim Dasgupta & Shovan Kumar Majumder

  2. Laser Biomedical Applications Division, Raja Ramanna Centre of Advanced Technology, Indore, 452013, India

    Aniket Chowdhury, Raktim Dasgupta & Shovan Kumar Majumder

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  1. Yashveer Singh
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  2. Aniket Chowdhury
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  3. Raktim Dasgupta
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  4. Shovan Kumar Majumder
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Correspondence to Raktim Dasgupta.

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Singh, Y., Chowdhury, A., Dasgupta, R. et al. The effects of lithium on human red blood cells studied using optical spectroscopy and laser trap. Eur Biophys J 52, 91–100 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-023-01643-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-023-01643-2

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