Acanthocyte

3D Model

Acanthocyte means ‘thorny cell’ and it’s an apt desciption of their irregular curves and spikes, they are also called ‘spur cells’. Echinocytes have similar protrusions but these are generally regularly spaced whereas acanthocytes have more dramatic and irregular distortions. Like several of the other shape changes represented in the Drawing Blood collection, acanthocytes can result from changes in cytoskeleton stability and/or the cholesterol composition of plasma membranes.