Red blood cell aging

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The mammalian erythrocyte serves as an excellent model for studying aging at both cellular and molecular levels. Its biochemical, biophysical, and physiological simplicity allows for a deeper understanding of aging processes. Researchers can track individual cells throughout their lifespan in circulation, obtaining samples from young, middle-aged, and old individuals. This enables investigations into the environmental influences on cell life and the effects of manipulating red cell content, such as enzymatic activities and metabolic properties, on cell survival. The book, stemming from a 1990 symposium in Urbino, Italy, explores how aging impacts the membrane, metabolism, and proteins of mammalian erythrocytes. Contributions from the symposium detail the aging processes affecting these cells and provide a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms that enable the identification of the 1 percent of red cells that reach the end of their 120-day lifespan among the 25 trillion circulating in an average adult.