Spectrin extractability in blood storage

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Abstract
The extractability of spectrin from [human] red blood cell membranes was measured both by dialysis against 1 mM EDTA for 44 h and by incubation with 1 mM EDTA for 60 min. The extractability of spectrin is somewhat impaired when membranes are prepared from metabolically depleted erythrocytes, but the extent of impairment was considerably less than previously reported. Red blood cells which had been rendered nonviable by prolonged storage in citrate-phosphate-dextrose solution manifested normal spectrin extractability. The loss of spectrin extractability is an insensitive manifestation of loss of red blood cell viability, and it is not suitable for the prediction of loss of viability [and, as a result, unsuitable for transfusion] during red blood cell storage.