Main events and mechanism of human erythrocyte ageing.

Abstract

Erythrocytes play a crucial role in human life and are a good model for single-cell ageing research. Therefore, the mechanism of erythrocyte ageing has been a serious concern for researchers. Here, we investigate the ageing mechanism of human erythrocytes in circulation with a new approach. We first try to discover all the factors that affect erythrocyte ageing from the existing findings about the interactions of erythrocytes with the environment during circulation and the resulting alterations in the cells during their ageing process. Then, we define the main events in erythrocyte ageing according to the incidence and strength of the interactions and the magnitude of the biophysical and biochemical alterations induced by these interactions. With the main events as a guide for tracking the ageing process and analysing the causes and consequences of the events taking place during erythrocyte ageing, we depict the pathways and framework of the ageing mechanism. We hope that understanding the ageing mechanism of erythrocytes will help people to have a deep insight into the biophysical and biochemical processes of cell ageing and their molecular basis. Additionally, it may offer solutions to different fundamental and practical problems related to erythrocyte ageing, storage lesions, transfusion and diseases.