Fig. 6.

Effects of red blood cell (RBC) supernatants on human pulmonary artery endothelial cell (HPAEC) barrier function. HPAEC barrier function was examined by measuring transendothelial electrical resistance (TER) changes. A: RBC supernatants tested at different dilutions decreased TER in a dose-dependent manner. B: anticoagulant conservant [citrate phosphate dextrose solution (CPD)] used for RBC storage did not affect basal TER of EC monolayers. C: supernatants from both fresh stored (SUP-F; less then 14 days) and old stored (SUP-O; more than 28 days) RBCs exhibited similar barrier disruptive effects on HPAEC monolayers reflected by sharp TER decline; n = 4. D: barrier-disruptive effects of supernatants from fresh and old stored RBCs were analyzed in Xpert visualization assays using FITC-avidin as a tracer. There was no difference between fresh and old supernatants; n = 5; bar = 20 µm.