To elucidate the mechanism of the high deformability of human erythrocytes, we have developed a new spin-labeling ESR method for measuring the deformability under shear flow. In this review, we introduce the principle of the method and its applications. Our results obtained so far by the new method are in excellent agreement with the typical results obtained by other method, i.e., rheoscopy or ectacytometery. In addition, the intercellular interactions during flow are also demonstrated to be measurable by the ESR method. The main advantages for the ESR method are 1. high sensitivity, 2. ability to measure at a high hematocrit (30-60%), and 3. ease of measuring cell deformability.
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