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Axial and Nonaxial Migration of Red Blood Cells in a Microtube

Authors :
Naoki Takeishi
Hiroshi Yamashita
Toshihiro Omori
Naoto Yokoyama
Masako Sugihara-Seki
Source :
Micromachines, Vol 12, Iss 10, p 1162 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

Human red blood cells (RBCs) are subjected to high viscous shear stress, especially during microcirculation, resulting in stable deformed shapes such as parachute or slipper shape. Those unique deformed RBC shapes, accompanied with axial or nonaxial migration, cannot be fully described according to traditional knowledge about lateral movement of deformable spherical particles. Although several experimental and numerical studies have investigated RBC behavior in microchannels with similar diameters as RBCs, the detailed mechanical characteristics of RBC lateral movement—in particular, regarding the relationship between stable deformed shapes, equilibrium radial RBC position, and membrane load—has not yet been fully described. Thus, we numerically investigated the behavior of single RBCs with radii of 4 μm in a circular microchannel with diameters of 15 μm. Flow was assumed to be almost inertialess. The problem was characterized by the capillary number, which is the ratio between fluid viscous force and membrane elastic force. The power (or energy dissipation) associated with membrane deformations was introduced to quantify the state of membrane loads. Simulations were performed with different capillary numbers, viscosity ratios of the internal to external fluids of RBCs, and initial RBC centroid positions. Our numerical results demonstrated that axial or nonaxial migration of RBC depended on the stable deformed RBC shapes, and the equilibrium radial position of the RBC centroid correlated well with energy expenditure associated with membrane deformations.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2072666X
Volume :
12
Issue :
10
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Micromachines
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.3b0a224513934b659a6a7165d74edb4d
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12101162