Melittin-induced alterations in morphology and deformability of human red blood cells using quantitative phase imaging techniques

Here, the actions of melittin, the active molecule of apitoxin or bee venom, were investigated on human red blood cells (RBCs) using quantitative phase imaging techniques. High-resolution realtime 3-D refractive index (RI) measurements and dynamic 2-D phase images of individual melittin-bound RBCs enabled in-depth examination of melittin-induced biophysical alterations of the cells. From the measurements, morphological, biochemical, and mechanical alterations of the RBCs were analyzed quantitatively. Furthermore, leakage of haemoglobin (Hb) inside the RBCs at high melittin concentration was also investigated.