Fig. 3 depicts this comparison for two healthy donors. The simultaneous measurements of 4 to 96 RBCs (depending on the model of the automated patch systems) allow for measurement of a population of RBCs with exactly the same experimental procedure, and there is no experimental bias towards choosing a (particular) cell. In contrast, classical patch-clamp allows for more (visual) control over the particular experiment/cell and at least an order of magnitude lower noise level, typically approximately 1 pA. Comparing

data from cell suspension experiments (cp. Section (4.2) “Ion fluxes”) and those issued from patch-clamp studies is a common but difficult task, Ibrutinib clinical trial which can be exemplified by the entry of Ca2 + observed in sickle cells upon deoxygenation. This entry, designated Psickle, is best characterised as a poorly selective permeability pathway for small, inorganic monovalent and divalent cations.77 Experiments in which the fraction of activated cells was studied as a function of the external Ca2 + concentration showed that sickling is a stochastic event

of random intensity among HbSS RBCs, capable learn more of generating maximal Gardos channel activation in a small fraction of cells during each deoxygenation-sickling pulse. Consistent with the stochastic nature of Psickle, repeated pulses led to the progressive accumulation of dense cells, whereas a single long pulse caused only an early production of a single small fraction of dense RBCs.78 Lew et al. eventually depicted this nature clearly by writing: “When electrophysiologists finally approach the study of Psickle under patch-clamp, they ought to bear in mind the probabilistic nature of Psickle in each deoxygenation

pulse before consulting their this website psychiatrist for the lack of reproducibility!”.77 One has to keep in mind that electrophysiology conclusions are drawn from results where the membrane potential is changed at will by the experimenter, meaning that they are rarely obtained at the resting membrane potential, rendering comparison with cell suspensions difficult. This is exemplified in a recent study, where it was shown that increased membrane permeability for sorbitol in malaria-infected RBCs could not easily be reconciled with data from whole-cell experiments.79 Indeed, in isosmotic sorbitol haemolysis, the membrane potential reaches values above + 50 mV due to the absence of charges at the extracellular side of the membrane. Subsequent comparison of these data to that obtained with patch-clamp (at this membrane potential, inwardly rectified currents induced by infection are almost totally abolished[62] and [65]) seems impossible. FCM is a technique that uses optical detection methods for counting and analysing particles in the size range of micrometres.