Abstract
Background: Lead is a nonessential heavy metal, which can inhibit heme synthesis and has significant cytotoxic effects. Nevertheless, its effect on the electrical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) remains unclear. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the electrical properties and the electrophysiological mechanism of lead exposure in mouse blood using Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Methods: AC impedance method was used to measure the electrical impedance of healthy and lead exposure blood of mice in 0.01-100 MHz frequency range. Data characteristic of the impedance spectrum, Bodes plot, Nyquist plot and Nichols plot, and three elements equivalent circuit model were used to explicitly analyze the differences in amplitude-frequency, phase-frequency, and the frequency characteristic of blood in electrical impedance properties. Results: Compared with the healthy blood in control mice, the changes in blood exposed to lead was as follows: (I) the hematocrit decreased; (II) the amplitude-frequency and phase-frequency characteristics of electrical impedance decreased; (III) the characteristic frequencies ( f 0 ) were significantly increased; (IV) the electrical impedance of plasma, erythrocyte membrane, and hemoglobin decreased, while the conductivity increased. Conclusion: Therefore, EIS can be used as an effective method to monitor blood and RBCs abnormalities caused by lead-exposure.
Lubrication Condition Monitoring of Practical Ball Bearings by Electrical Impedance Method
