Full dynamics of a red blood cell in shear flow.

ABSTRACT: At the cellular scale, blood fluidity and mass transport depend on the dynamics of red blood cells in blood flow, specifically on their deformation and orientation. These dynamics are governed by cellular rheological properties, such as internal viscosity and cytoskeleton elasticity. In diseases in which cell rheology is altered genetically or by parasitic invasion or by changes in the microenvironment, blood flow may be severely impaired. The nonlinear interplay between cell rheology and flow may generate complex dynamics, which remain largely unexplored experimentally. Under simple shear flow, only two motions, "tumbling" and "tank-treading," have been described experimentally and relate to cell mechanics. Here, we elucidate the full dynamics of red blood cells in shear flow by coupling

SUBMITTER: Dupire J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3529085 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature