The Effects of Ultraviolet Light Irradiation on Hematological and Morphological Characteristics and Potassium Level of Human Blood for Transfusion Associated Graft Versus Host Disease Prevention

Ultraviolet irradiation has been shown to be effective for Transfusion Associated Graft Versus Host Disease (TAGVHD) prevention. However, ionizing irradiation has not yet been replaced by ultraviolet irradiation for blood irradiation at some blood banks, since there are still questions about the safety of this technique.
In this research the hematological, morphological characteristics and potassium level of the irradiated blood, irradiated with an equivalent dose of 4 J/cm2 of UVC (254nm) for 3 min, which is the minimum dose shown to be effective for TAGVHD prevention according to literature available, has been studied. The data was analyzed with SPSS software.
The results showed that UV irradiation does not change the blood potassium level and hence does not damage the RBC membrane. Furthermore, the hematological tests showed no significant hematological change after ultraviolet exposure. Moreover, the morphology of RBCs and PLTs after ultraviolet irradiation was normal.
According to the results, the ultraviolet irradiation is a safe and suitable way for blood and blood component irradiation for TAGVHD prevention and other applications with an equivalent dose of up to this UV irradiation dose.