The role of protease inhibitors and albumin on the membrane shedding of human erythrocytes

Human erythrocytes incubated at 37° C in a physiological solution containing divalent cations but without glucose release up to 55% of the total sialoglycopeptides of the membrane within 60 hrs. The inhibition of the release by soybean trypsin inhibitor (SbTI), trasylol and epsilon amino-n-caproic acid (EACA), suggests that proteases bound to the membrane are probably responsible for the membrane shedding. Human albumin reduces significantly the membrane proteolysis.