Changes of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells membrane fluidity from type 1 Gaucher disease patients: an electron paramagnetic resonance study

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder, caused by an impaired function of β-glucocerebrosidase, which results in accumulation of glucocerebroside in cells, and altered membrane ordering. Using electron paramagnetic resonance spin labeling, a statistically significant difference in the order parameter between the peripheral blood mononuclear cell membranes of GD patients and healthy controls was observed. Moreover, the results show that the introduction of the enzyme replacement therapy leads to the restoration of the physiological membrane fluidity. Accordingly, this simple method could serve as a preliminary test for GD diagnosis and therapy efficiency.