Cell electrophoretic mobility and glycerol lysis of human erythrocytes in various diseases

Using an automated cell electrophoresis system equipped with an image processor, we studied electrophoretic mobilities of erythrocytes of healthy donors and of patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), hypergammaglobulinemia and diabetes mellitus (DM). On average, erythrocytes from SLE patients showed mean electrophoretic mobilities (EPM) which were significantly lower (p < 0.005) than the EPM of red blood cells of normal donors. Evaluation of mean EPM and standard deviations revealed that three groups of SLE patients could be distinguished regarding the electrophoretic behavior of their erythrocytes. Some patients had red blood cells with normal EPM, others had erythrocytes with significantly reduced EPM, and a third group appeared to have both kinds of erythrocytes. In addition, erythrocytes of various SLE patients showed enhanced resistance to lysis by glycerol and their membranes contained less quantities of band 3 proteins.