The present invention relates to a method for determining the quality of haemoglobin (Hb) during the storage period of red blood cell (RBC) units comprising a step of detecting soluble alpha-haemoglobin (α-Hb) pool in RBC lysates and concluding that the presence of α-Hb pool indicates a conservation of quality of Hb during the storage RBCs.
Inventors have determined the impact of RBC units aging on the quality of Hb and on the soluble α-Hb pool level in RBCs. For this purpose, 21 RBC units were collected, stored at +4 to 6°C and samples were taken at two different storage times (D3-D8 and D38-D42) to evaluate spectral characteristics of Hb and soluble α-Hb pool in RBCs. Two additional samples were collected from 16 RBC units, at intermediate time points during storage (D13-D17 and D24-D29; n = 16). The α-Hb dosing assay uses the specific character of the interaction between the α-Hb and the AHSP, the α chaperone, to trap the α-Hb present in the RBC lysates of patients. They also investigated the effect of a short cryopreservation period at -80°C for 15 days on the α-Hb pool for 4 different RBC units.