Electrochemical Understanding of the Difference Between Spherocytes Suspension From Normal Discocytes for Hemolytic Anemia Detection

Early diagnosis of hemolytic anemia, which often arises due to spherocytosis, is crucial for preventing severe health complications. This study demonstrates a possible approach to detect the condition by examining the electrochemical signatures of spherocyte suspensions. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) reveals distinct oxidation peaks at around 0.67 V for healthy discocytes and 0.72 V for spherocytes, with the latter exhibiting a lower oxidation current. This suggests reduced conversion of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ state of hemoglobin likely due to impaired methemoglobin reductase activity and heightened hemoglobin oxidation in spherocytes. Co-oxidation studies and Raman spectroscopy reinforce such findings, thus confirming increased methemoglobin (Fe³⁺) in spherocytes, consequently promoting oxidative stress and cell lysis. Moreover, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement shows higher impedance in spherocytes, which is attributed to their spherical symmetry that leads to weak dielectric properties. Thus, the proposed approach of electrochemical measurements by combining impedance spectroscopy and CV-derived oxidation rates is a promising cost-effective, low-volume (∼20 μL) diagnostic method for rapid and accurate detection of hemolytic anemia.