Uptake, decay, and tissue distribution of red blood cells (RBCs).

(A) Liver uptake (circles) and blood decay (triangles) of native (open symbols) and oxidized (closed symbols) RBCs (OxRBC). At t = 0, a single bolus of 200 μL 10% hematocrit RBC suspension was injected, and at various times after injection a liver lobule and blood sample were taken. (B) Tissue distribution of OxRBC at 30 minutes (hatched bars) and 24 hours (black bars) after injection, expressed as percent of injected dose. (C) Specific uptake of OxRBC per gram tissue at 30 minutes (hatched bars) and 24 hours (black bars) after injection, expressed as percent of injected dose per gram wet tissue weight. All figures: native RBC: mean of 5 ± SEM; OxRBC: mean of 6 ± SEM. The total body recovery for OxRBC of 6 independent determinations at 30 minutes after injection was 86.4 ± 4.3%.