Storage of red blood cells (RBCs) under standard blood bank conditions results in reduced structural integrity leading to membrane budding and release of microparticles. Microparticles express the blood group Duffy antigen known to bind multiple inflammatory chemokines, but the functional chemokine binding properties of microparticles are not known.
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.