Magnetic measurements on human erythrocytes: Normal, beta thalassemia major, and sickle

In this article magnetic measurements were made on human erythrocytes at different hemoglobin states (normal and reduced hemoglobin). Different blood samples: normal, beta thalassemia major, and sickle were studied. Beta thalassemia major and sickle samples were taken from patients receiving lifelong blood transfusion treatment. All samples examined exhibited diamagnetic behavior. Beta thalassemia major and sickle samples showed higher diamagnetic susceptibilities than that for the normal, which was attributed to the increase of membrane to hemoglobin volume ratio of the abnormal cells. Magnetic measurements showed that the erythrocytes in the reduced state showed less diamagnetic response in comparison with erythrocytes in the normal state. Analysis of the paramagnetic component of magnetization curves gave an effective magnetic moment of mu(eff)=7.6 mu(B) per reduced hemoglobin molecule. The same procedure was applied to sickle and beta thalassemia major samples and values for mu(eff) were found to be comparable to that of the normal erythrocytes. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.