Comparative Evaluation of Biochemical and Hematological Parameters of Pre-Storage Leukoreduction during RBC Storage

Background: Some of the red cell storage lesions (RCSLs) take place during red blood cell (RBC) storage and may reduce the function of these cells dramatically, which mostly caused by residual leucocytes in blood components. This study was planned to observe the biochemical and hematological changes in pre-storage leukoreduced RBC (LR-RBC) compared with unfiltered RBC during in vitro storage. Materials and Methods: Ten unit RBCs were collected, processed and stored according to Iranian standard operating procedure (SOP) of Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO). Every unit was split into two equal parts, unfiltered RBC and LR-RBC. Samples were collected and tested on weeks of storage. Biochemical parameters such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lactate concentration and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme activity were measured by auto-analyzer. In addition, hematology analyzer was used to monitor the change of RBC indices such as (MCV), (MCH) and (MCHC). Results: In this study, both groups showed progressive increase of LDH and lactate levels, and also G6PD activity decreased during storage. Mean of LDH and lactate in unfiltered RBC was significantly increased compared with LR-RBC during all days of storage (p< 0.05). There was statically significant decrease in the G6PD enzyme activity between the two groups and weeks of storage (p< 0.05). However, the RBC indices remained within the expected levels in both groups. Conclusion: LR-RBC and RBC both exhibited RCSL during storage, but LR-RBC is effective in reducing Red cell storage lesion (RCSL) and also improves the quality of stored red blood cells.