Carbon Monoxide (CO) Modulates Surface Architectonics and Energy Metabolism of Human Blood Erythrocytes.

Scanning electron microscopy study showed that exposure to CO for 60, 75, and 90 min induced heterogeneous changes in erythrocyte population. Increasing the duration of exposure of blood erythrocytes to CO was followed by the appearance of cells with morphological changes. The formation of discocytes with processes (≥1) was followed by the appearance of "deflated ball"-shaped erythrocytes.

Inhibition of Apoptosis Stages of Human Blood Lymphocytes after Exposure to Carbon Monoxide in the Presence of Recombinant Interleukin-2.

We studied the effect of carbon monoxide (60-, 75-, and 90-min exposure) on the expression of antiapoptotic proteins (survivin and Bcl-2) in human blood lymphocytes in the presence of recombinant IL-2 in an apoptosis-inducing dose (0.1 ng/ml). Incubation of cells in atmosphere with carbon monoxide in the presence of recombinant IL-2 was accompanied by accumulation of Bcl-2 protein with simultaneous decrease of survivin content.