Fig 4.

Effect of imatinib on the deformability and rheology of sickle cells at different oxygen pressures. A) The deformability of healthy erythrocytes and washed sickle cells is determined by ektacytometry in the presence and/or absence of 5 μM imatinib. B). A representative scan of inhibition of sickling after treatment of blood from SCD patients with imatinib or DMSO (vehicle control) as detected by Oxygenscan. Elmax, point of sickling (PoS5%) and Elmin are recorded as the sample is deoxygenated and then reoxygenated after 4 h incubation with 5 μM imatinib or an equal volume of DMSO carrier. Note both the left-shift in PoS5% and higher Elmin in sickle RBCs following incubation with imatinib, which are indicative of improved deformability of the cells. C) Washed sickle or healthy cells were incubated for 4 h at 37°C in the indicated concentrations of imatinib and then equilibrated at the indicated partial pressures of oxygen, prior to analysis of flow rates. [***denotes P ≤ 0·05, figures are representative of three (panel A) and five (panels B and C) different patient samples]. (SCD, sickle cell disease; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; Elmax or Elmin, Eadie-Hofstee linearisation maximum or minimum deformability).