The elasticity of red cell membrane is a critical physiological index for the activity of RBC. Study of the inherent mechanism for RBCs membrane elasticity transformation is attention-getting all along. This paper proposes an optimized measurement method of erythrocytes membrane shear modulus incorporating acousto-optic deflector (AOD) scanning optical tweezers system. By use of this method, both membrane shear moduli and sizes of RBCs with different in vitro times were determined. The experimental results reveal that the RBCs membrane elasticity and size decline with in vitro time extension. In addition, semi quantitative measurements of S-nitrosothiol content in blood using fluorescent spectrometry during in vitro storage show that RBCs membrane elasticity change is positively associated with the S-nitrosylation level of blood. The analysis considered that the diminished activity of the nitric oxide synthase makes the S-nitrosylation of in vitro blood weaker gradually. The main reason for worse elasticity of the in vitro RBCs is that S-nitrosylation effect of spectrin fades. These results will provide a guideline for further study of in vitro cells activity and other clinical applications.

Erythrocyte deformability correlates with various diseases. Single-cell measurements via optical tweezers (OTs) enable quantitative exploration but may encounter inaccuracies due to erythrocyte life cycle mixing. We present a three-step methodology to address these challenges. Firstly, density gradient centrifugation minimizes erythrocyte variations. Secondly, OTs measure membrane shear force across layers. Thirdly, MATLAB analyzes dynamic cell areas. Results combined with membrane shear force data reveal erythrocyte deformational capacity. To further characterize the deformability of diseased erythrocytes, the experiments used glutaraldehyde-fixed erythrocytes to simulate diseased cells. OTs detect increased shear modulus, while image recognition indicates decreased deformation. The integration of OTs and image recognition presents a comprehensive approach to deformation analysis, introducing novel ideas and methodologies for investigating erythrocytic lesions.

The changes of mechanical properties and biological activities of monomeric erythrocytes are studied using optical tweezers micromanipulation technology. Firstly, the mechanical properties of irradiated erythrocyte membranes are obtained. Weaker power laser irradiation can delay the decay of the mechanical properties of erythrocytes and promote the biological activity of erythrocytes, while higher power laser irradiation damages erythrocytes. The stronger the laser irradiation is, the more obvious and rapid the damage will be. The temperature of the cell surface will be changed by regulating the laser power and irradiation time, so the biological functions of erythrocyte can be controlled. Secondly, the finite element simulation of the temperature change on the cell surface under the condition of laser irradiation is carried out using simulation software, and the precise temperature of the cell surface irradiated cumulatively by a laser with different powers is obtained. Finally, the processes of abscission, unfolding, and denaturation of hemoglobins in erythrocytes at different temperatures due to the photothermal effect are analyzed using the model. The mechanism of laser irradiation on the elasticity of erythrocyte membranes is also obtained.