Separation of Red Blood Cells at the Single Cell Level by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis

Abstract

By using capillary zone electrophoresis, the human red blood cell population was separated at the single cell level. A single injection of a human blood cell sample gave about one hundred peaks, and most of the peaks could be used to estimate the approximate number of cells. The separation of human red blood cells was also detected by a direct microscopic observation. The injection of a very diluted blood solution gave a few tens of peaks; and the peak heights were almost equal. The peak profile in the electropherogram corresponds directly to the distribution of the electrophoretic mobility of the red blood cells, which reflects on the cell properties, such as the surface charge density, volume and weight. Our finding is the first report to present the fine separation of population of red blood cells at the single cell level.