Forces on a wall-bound leukocyte in a small vessel due to red cells in the blood stream.

ABSTRACT: As part of the inflammation response, white blood cells (leukocytes) are well known to bind nearly statically to the vessel walls, where they must resist the force exerted by the flowing blood. This force is particularly difficult to estimate due to the particulate character of blood, especially in small vessels where the red blood cells must substantially deform to pass an adhered leukocyte. An efficient simulation tool with realistically flexible red blood cells is used to estimate these forces. At these length scales, it is found that the red cells significantly augment the streamwise forces that must be resisted by the binding. However, interactions with the red cells are also found to cause an average wall-directed force, which can be anticipated to enhance binding. These forces incre

SUBMITTER: Isfahani AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3471476 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature