Interaction of red blood cells with a polarized electrode: evidence of long-range intermolecular forces.

We have investigated the electrostatic interaction of glutaraldehyde-fixed human red cells with a polarizable electrode carrying a defined surface charge density which can be varied continuously through a wide range. Cells in a dilute salt solution are unable to adhere to the electrode at high negative charge, but at lower negative charge densities they are reversibly adherent and can be forced off by increasing the negative polarization. Near zero electrode charge they become irreversibly stuck to the electrode and cannot be evicted even at maximum electrode polarization. Calculation of the electrostatic repulsive force using measured charge densities indicates the existence of an attractive force which may be acting over several hundred angstroms.