Effect of Storage of Blood in ACD-Adenine-Inorganic Phosphate Plus Nucleosides on Metabolic Intermediates of Human Red Cells

Bloods collected in ACD-adenine-inorganic phosphate (ACD-Ad,P,) preservatives, supplemented with varying amounts of inosine, adenosine and guanosine, were incubated at 37 C for four hours and then stored at 4 C for six weeks. At two-week intervals, phosphorylated intermediates of washed red cells were assayed by ion exchange chromatography. The 0-day 2,3-diphosphoglycerate concentrations of the incubated ACD-Ad, P₁ bloods were below the normal range and decreased rapidly during storage; in the presence of inosine or adenosine, the initial values were elevated and remained high during the first two weeks before decreasing. Following incubation the 0-day values of ATP were markedly increased in the red cells of bloods supplemented with adenine and P₁ and during storage the rate of decrease was dependent on the pH of the blood and the type and amount of supplement. The red cells of blood collected in the ACD-Ad, P₁ (pH 6.5) preservative maintained the ATP concentrations within the normal range after six weeks storage as effectively as bloods collected in preservatives supplemented with inosine, adenosine or guanosine. After a small initial increase, the ADP levels remained fairly constant. The AMP values increased as the ATP decreased and in most cases, the total adenylate concentration remained fairly constant throughout the storage period. The changes in other phosphorylated compounds were negligible. The significance of these results is discussed.