Changes in the amount of mitochondrial DNA during storage in RBCs and Leukoreduced red blood cells

The mitochondrial DNA in blood products can cause physiological changes in cells and patient complications. This study aims to evaluate the effect of storage time on the copy number of free mitochondrial DNA in products of RBCs and leukoreduced red blood cells.

In a cross-sectional descriptive study, 15 units of RBCs and 15 units of leukoreduced red blood cells were evaluated. After determining the hematological parameters and the average blood cell count in each bag, the free mitochondrial DNA copy number was evaluated using the RT-PCR method. The mitochondrial DNA copy number was measured in blood products on days 0, 5 and 35. After data collection, Shapiro and Mann-Whitney tests were performed and the analysis was done using REST 2009 software.

The average hemoglobin level in the blood bags was 17.6 ± 4.3 gr/dL. The mean platelet count in packed RBC bags was 132.02 ± 50.60´1000/mm3 of blood. The mean number of red blood cells was 6.07 ± 0.14 million per microliter of blood and the mean WBC count in the blood bags was 4.98 ± 2.3 per microliter. The number of free mitochondrial DNA copies in the packed RBC product was higher compared to the leukocyte-less RBC products on days 5 and 35.

Conclusions  :

The free mitochondrial DNA copy number in RBCs bags was higher than leukoreduced RBCs,
and a direct relationship between the amount of WBC and the number of free mtDNA copy number was observed.