Flow structures and red blood cell dynamics in arteriole of dilated or constricted cross section

Deformation of Red Blood Cells, Air Bubbles, and Droplets in Microfluidic Devices: Flow Visualizations and Measurements

Techniques, such as micropipette aspiration and optical tweezers, are widely used to measure cell mechanical properties, but are generally labor-intensive and time-consuming, typically involving a difficult process of manipulation. In the past two decades, a large number of microfluidic devices have been developed due to the advantages they offer over other techniques, including transparency for direct optical access, lower cost, reduced space and labor, precise control, and easy manipulation of a small volume of blood samples. This review presents recent advances in the development of microfluidic devices to evaluate the mechanical response of individual red blood cells (RBCs) and microbubbles flowing in constriction microchannels. Visualizations and measurements of the deformation of RBCs flowing through hyperbolic, smooth, and sudden-contraction microchannels were evaluated and compared. In particular, we show the potential of using hyperbolic-shaped microchannels to precisely control and assess small changes in RBC deformability in both physiological and pathological situations. Moreover, deformations of air microbubbles and droplets flowing through a microfluidic constriction were also compared with RBCs deformability.

Collective spreading of red blood cells flowing in a microchannel

Due to recent advances in micro total analysis system technologies, microfluidics provides increased opportunities to manipulate, stimulate, and diagnose blood cells. Controlling the concentration of cells at a given position across the width of a channel is an important aspect in the design of microfluidic devices. Despite its biomedical importance, the collective spreading of red blood cells (RBCs) in a microchannel has not yet been fully clarified. In this study, we experimentally investigated the collective spreading of RBCs in a straight microchannel, and found that RBCs initially distributed in one side of the microchannel spread to the spanwise direction during downstream flow. Spreading increased considerably as the hematocrit increased, though the flow rate had a small effect. We proposed a scaling argument to show that this spreading phenomenon was diffusive and mainly induced by cell-cell interactions. The dispersion coefficient was approximately proportional to the flow rate and the hematocrit. These results are useful in understanding collective behaviors of RBCs in a microchannel and in microcirculation.

Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries

The pulmonary capillary networks (PCNs) embody organ-specific microvasculatures, where blood vessels form dense meshes that maximize the surface area available for gas exchange in the lungs. With characteristic capillary lengths and diameters similar to the size of red blood cells (RBCs), seminal descriptions coined the term "sheet flow" nearly half a century ago to differentiate PCNs from the usual notion of Poiseuille flow in long straight tubes. Here, we revisit in true-scale experiments the original "sheet flow" model and devise for the first time biomimetic microfluidic platforms of organ-specific PCN structures perfused with RBC suspensions at near-physiological hematocrit levels. By implementing RBC tracking velocimetry, our measurements reveal a wide range of heterogonous RBC pathways that coexist synchronously within the PCN; a phenomenon that persists across the broad range of pressure drops and capillary segment sizes investigated. Interestingly, in spite of the intrinsic complexity of the PCN structure and the heterogeneity in RBC dynamics observed at the microscale, the macroscale bulk flow rate versus pressure drop relationship retains its linearity, where the hydrodynamic resistance of the PCN is to a first order captured by the characteristic capillary segment size. To the best of our knowledge, our in vitro efforts constitute a first, yet significant, step in exploring systematically the transport dynamics of blood in morphologically inspired capillary networks.

Modeling the Behavior of Red Blood Cells within the Caudal Vein Plexus of Zebrafish

Due to the important biological role of red blood cells (RBCs) in vertebrates, the analysis of reshaping and dynamics of RBCs motion is a critical issue in physiology and biomechanics. In this paper the behavior of RBCs within the immature capillary plexus during embryonic development of zebrafish has been analyzed. Relying on the fact that zebrafish embryos are small and optically transparent, it is possible to image the blood flow. In this way the anatomy of blood vessels is monitored along with the circulation throughout their development. Numerical simulations were performed using a specific numerical model that combines fluid flow simulation, modeling of the interaction of individual RBCs immersed in blood plasma with the surrounding fluid and modeling the deformation of individual cells. The results of numerical simulations are in accordance with the in vivo observed region of interest within the caudal vein plexus of the zebrafish embryo. Good agreement of results demonstrates the capabilities of the developed numerical model to predict and analyze the motion and deformation of RBCs in complex geometries. The proposed model (methodology) will help to elucidate different rheological and hematological related pathologies and finally to design better treatment strategies.