Changes in the Nucleotides of Stored or Incubated Human Blood

Abstract

Human blood was stored in ACD solution (add citrate dextrose) for up to eight weeks at 4 C. or up to 72 hours at 37 C. The changes in the blood nucleotides were followed serially by fractionation on Dowex‐1‐formate resin. The breakdown of ATP in aging blood followed the pattern, ATP→ ADP→ AMP→ IMP→ hypoxanthine, causing a steady decrease in ATP concentration and a continuing rise in hypoxanthine concentration with a transient rise and fall in the intermediate nucleotides. The reactions were roughly similar at both temperatures but required eight weeks at 4C. as against only three days at 37 C. The changes in the nucleotide pattern of stored blood are so characteristic that they may be used to date stored blood or to compare different methods of storage. The exact correlation between the nucleotide pattern of stored blood and red cell survival is not known, but it generally is accepted that both are related to the length of time and storage conditions of blood.