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An operative framework to model mucus clearance in silico by coupling cilia motion with the liquid environment.

Authors :
Laborie, Emeline
Melchionna, Simone
Sterpone, Fabio
Source :
Journal of Chemical Physics; 3/7/2023, Vol. 158 Issue 9, p1-11, 11p
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Mucociliary clearance is the first defense mechanism of the respiratory tract against inhaled particles. This mechanism is based on the collective beating motion of cilia at the surface of epithelial cells. Impaired clearance, either caused by malfunctioning or absent cilia, or mucus defects, is a symptom of many respiratory diseases. Here, by exploiting the lattice Boltzmann particle dynamics technique, we develop a model to simulate the dynamics of multiciliated cells in a two-layer fluid. First, we tuned our model to reproduce the characteristic length- and time-scales of the cilia beating. We then check for the emergence of the metachronal wave as a consequence of hydrodynamic mediated correlations between beating cilia. Finally, we tune the viscosity of the top fluid layer to simulate the mucus flow upon cilia beating, and evaluate the pushing efficiency of a carpet of cilia. With this work, we build a realistic framework that can be used to explore several important physiological aspects of mucociliary clearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00219606
Volume :
158
Issue :
9
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Journal of Chemical Physics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
162291290
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0135216