**Acknowledgement**

We would like to thank Dr. Saleh El-Ayouby, Dr. Essam Nasr, Professor Dr, Mervat El Anary, and Ms. Heba Zaki. Dr. El-Ayouby helped in preparation of antiserum and in conducting Ouchterlony immuno-precipitation test. Dr. Nasr has provided the H37Rv strain and helped in the preparation of the antigen extract. Professor El Ansary has provided lab facilities and reagents for HLA typing and has examined the typing trays. Ms. Zaki developed a computer program that implements the mathematical model to help in its verification.

#### **7. References**

28 Blood Cell – An Overview of Studies in Hematology

too.

better separation.

prevention.

*Sweden* 

**Author details** 

**Acknowledgement** 

role in immune reactions (IR and IT).

Mahmoud Rafea and Serhiy Souchelnytskyi

is the same mechanism a body tolerates his self antigens.

experiment which shows that HLA antigens exist in their hemolysates proposes a new mechanism by which a pregnant woman is able to tolerate her fetus and placenta. Simply, it

The experiments which use hemolysate against self-serum: Ouchterlony immuneprecipitation test, Western Blot, and 2-DE of co-immunoprecipitated antigens demonstrated that RBC have an antigens' store. Mass spectrometry of spots obtained from 2-DE gel demonstrated the finding of all kind of antigens, self and non-self, in hemolysate. This indicates that blood circulating antibodies in any individual will react with his RBC's hemolysate antigens. In effect, there is no absolute immune response,

This directed our attention to use hyper immune serum against *Mycobacterium* antigens. This will help to get rid of other proteins and do better separation; and hence better identification. Consequently, we could identify 11 proteins from 60 gel spots belonging to H37Rv strain. The rest of spots are proteins related to bacterial commensals. Consequently, purification of specific antibodies from hyper immune serum is recommended to get further

In the experiment which investigates the dynamics of foreign antigens in RBC using sheep RBC which has been infected with *E. coli*, it was shown that the concentration of foreign antigens in RBC varies by time in relation to IR known behavior. This proves that RBC have

Whatever the reason of this existence of antigens in hemolysate this existence can help in designing diagnostic kits for different types of diseases. Further, it will help in discovering, not only, new immunological disorders which are, now, categorized under idiopathic disease, but also, identifying the obscure cause of many immunological disorders, including cancer. The identification of the cause of a disorder will help in its treatment and

*Karolinska Biomics Centre, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm,* 

We would like to thank Dr. Saleh El-Ayouby, Dr. Essam Nasr, Professor Dr, Mervat El Anary, and Ms. Heba Zaki. Dr. El-Ayouby helped in preparation of antiserum and in conducting Ouchterlony immuno-precipitation test. Dr. Nasr has provided the H37Rv strain and helped in the preparation of the antigen extract. Professor El Ansary has provided lab facilities and reagents for HLA typing and has examined the typing trays. Ms. Zaki

	- [15] Casadevall, A., & Pirofski, L. A. (2000). Host-Pathogen Interactions: Basic Concepts of Microbial Commensalism, Colonization, Infection, and Disease. *Infection and Immunity , 12* (68), 6511-6518.

**Chapter 3** 

© 2012 Cristiana et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2012 Cristiana et al., licensee InTech. This is a paper distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2012 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution,

**Homocysteine in Red Blood Cells Metabolism –** 

Red blood cells are responsible for oxygen transport from lung to tissues. Oxygen transport depends on reduced state of iron (Fe2+) in hemoglobin. To accomplish their delivery function erythrocytes must accommodate to the environment conditions as they change along the vascular branches. Both element oxygen (O2) and iron are able to quickly shift their oxidative state in response to different external/internal emerging stimuli. Moreover in erythrocyte nitric oxide (NO●) a vasodilalatory messenger is present. All these elements act in normal condition in well established mechanisms but they may generate alone or together high reactive species, named free radicals, that damage red blood cells as well as vascular endothelium. Free radicals may be generated from both oxygen and nitrogen and are known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) respectively nitrogen reactive species (RNS). However erythrocytes have intracellular enzyme/non enzyme defense system. When reactive species are quickly and intensely generated under external/internal stimuli the activity of antioxidant defense system is overwhelmed. Free radicals generation is triggered by normal, adaptive or pathological stimuli such as: superoxide detoxification, decreasing oxygen saturation in vascular branches, shear stress or atherosclerosis, ischemic attack and bacterial

One of the most potent oxidant agents in living cells is homocysteine (Hcy) a metabolic compound from methionine metabolism. The already mention metabolism requires vitamin B12, B6 and folic acid involvement. Every deficiency in vitamins supplies or enzymes activity triggers the onset of different diseases and erythrocyte is first affected in megaloblastic or Biermer anemia. A secondary consequence of vitamins deficiency is hyperhomocysteinemia. HyperHcy represents a high risk in cardiovascular diseases and not only. Nowadays is generally accepted that Hcy disturbs the normal endothelial function, promoting thrombosis and inhibiting fibrinolysis through many mechanisms which can possibly integrate and are

and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

**Pharmacological Approaches** 

Filip Cristiana, Zamosteanu Nina and Albu Elena

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/47795

**1. Introduction** 

infections.

[16] Thomson, J. D., Schaeffer-Reiss, C., & Ueffing, M. (2008). Functional Proteomics Methods and Protocols. *Series: Methods in Mollecular Biology, 484* (XVIII), 115.
