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A multiscale continuum model is constructed for a mechanosensitive (MS) channel gated by tension in a lipid bilayer membrane under stresses due to fluid flows. We illustrate that for typical physiological conditions vesicle hydrodynamics driven by a fluid flow may render the membrane tension sufficiently large to gate a MS channel open. In particular, we focus on the dynamic opening/ closing of a MS channel in a vesicle membrane under a planar shear flow and a pressure-driven flow across a constriction channel. Our modeling and numerical simulation results quantify the critical flow strength or flow channel geometry for intracellular transport through a MS channel. In particular, we determine the percentage of MS channels that are open or closed as a function of the relevant measure of flow strength. The modeling and simulation results imply that for fluid flows that are physiologically relevant and realizable in microfluidic configurations stress-induced intracellular transport across the lipid membrane can be achieved by the gating of reconstituted MS channels, which can be useful for designing drug delivery in medical therapy and understanding complicated mechanotransduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically investigate the deformation of a viscous drop covered with non-diffusing insoluble surfactant under a uniform DC electric field. At equilibrium, surfactant immobilizes the spheroidal drop surface and completely suppresses the fluid flow. In this work we focus on the equilibrium electro-deformation of a surfactant-laden drop in the leaky dielectric framework by developing (1) a second-order small-deformation analysis and (2) a spheroidal model for a highly deformed (prolate or oblate) drop. Both models are compared against experimental data and numerical simulation results in the literature. Our analysis shows how the existence of equilibrium spheroidal drop depends on the permittivity ratio, conductivity ratio, surfactant coverage, and the elasticity number. Furthermore, the spheroidal model highlights that differences between surfactant effects, such as tip stretching and surface dilution effects, are greatly amplified at large surfactant coverage and high electric capillary number. These surfactant effects are well captured in the spheroidal model, but cannot be described in the second-order small-deformation theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]