Exposure to malondialdehyde induces an early redox unbalance preceding membrane toxicity in human erythrocytes.

This work investigated the oxidative injury to human red blood cells (RBCs) by the exposure to exogenous malondialdehyde (MDA), in a physiological environment. When a 10% RBC suspension was incubated in autologous plasma, in the presence of 50 microM MDA, 30% of MDA entered into the cells. A time-course study showed that MDA caused early (30-120 min) and delayed (3-18 h) effects.