Morphometric and Nanomechanical Features of Erythrocytes Characteristic of Early Pregnancy Loss

Abstract

Early pregnancy loss (EPL) is estimated to be between 15 and 20% of all adverse pregnancies. Approximately, half of EPL cases have no identifiable cause. Herein, we apply atomic force microscopy to evaluate the alteration of morphology and nanomechanics of erythrocytes from women with EPL with unknown etiology, as compared to healthy pregnant (PC) and nonpregnant women (NPC). Freshly isolated erythrocytes from women with EPL differ in both the roughness value (4.6 ± 0.3 nm, p < 0.05), and Young’s modulus (2.54 ± 0.6 MPa, p < 0.01) compared to the values for NPC (3.8 ± 0.4 nm and 0.94 ± 0.2 MPa, respectively) and PC (3.3 ± 0.2 nm and 1.12 ± 0.3 MPa, respectively). Moreover, we find a time-dependent trend for the reduction of the cells’ morphometric parameters (cells size and surface roughness) and the membrane elasticity—much faster for EPL than for the two control groups. The accelerated aging of EPL erythrocytes is expressed in faster morphological shape transformation and earlier occurrence of spiculated and spherical-shaped cells, reduced membrane roughness and elasticity with aging evolution. Oxidative stress in vitro contributed to the morphological cells’ changes observed for EPL senescent erythrocytes. The ultrastructural characteristics of cells derived from women with miscarriages show potential as a supplementary mark for a pathological state.