1
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Gironella-Torrent M, Bergamaschi G, Sorkin R, Wuite GJL, Ritort F. Viscoelastic phenotyping of red blood cells. Biophys J 2024; 123:770-781. [PMID: 38268191 PMCID: PMC10995428 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Red blood cells (RBCs) are the simplest cell types with complex dynamical and viscoelastic phenomenology. While the mechanical rigidity and the flickering noise of RBCs have been extensively investigated, an accurate determination of the constitutive equations of the relaxational kinetics is lacking. Here we measure the force relaxation of RBCs under different types of tensional and compressive extension-jump protocols by attaching an optically trapped bead to the RBC membrane. Relaxational kinetics follows linear response from 60 pN (tensional) to -20 pN (compressive) applied forces, exhibiting a triple exponential function with three well-separated timescales over four decades (0.01-100 s). While the fast timescale (τF∼0.02(1)s) corresponds to the relaxation of the membrane, the intermediate and slow timescales (τI=4(1)s; τS=70(8)s) likely arise from the cortex dynamics and the cytosol viscosity. Relaxation is highly heterogeneous across the RBC population, yet the three relaxation times are correlated, showing dynamical scaling. Finally, we find that glucose depletion and laser illumination of RBCs lead to faster triple exponential kinetics and RBC rigidification. Viscoelastic phenotyping is a promising dynamical biomarker applicable to other cell types and active systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Gironella-Torrent
- Small Biosystems Lab, Condensed Matter Physics Department, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Giulia Bergamaschi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLab, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Raya Sorkin
- Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gijs J L Wuite
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLab, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Felix Ritort
- Small Biosystems Lab, Condensed Matter Physics Department, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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2
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Nash GB. The rheology of interactions between leukocytes, platelets and the vessel wall in thrombo-inflammation. Biorheology 2024; 59:63-80. [PMID: 38461497 DOI: 10.3233/bir-230040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Leukocytes and platelets must adhere to the wall of blood vessels to carry out their protective functions in inflammation and haemostasis. Recruitment is critically dependent on rheological variables (wall shear rate and stress, red cell aggregation and haematocrit) which affect delivery to the vessel wall as well as velocities and forces experienced there. Leukocyte recruitment is efficient only up to wall shear rates of about 300 s-1 and usually restricted to low-shear post-capillary venules in inflammation. Being smaller, platelets experience lower velocities and shear forces adjacent to the wall and can adhere at much higher shear rates for haemostasis in arteries. In addition, we found quite different effects of variations in haematocrit or red cell aggregation on attachment of neutrophils or platelets, which also assist their separate recruitment in venules or arteries. However, it has become increasingly evident that inflammatory and thrombotic responses may occur together, with platelets promoting the adhesion and activation of neutrophils and monocytes. Indeed, it is 30 years since we demonstrated that platelets could cause neutrophils to aggregate in suspension and, when attached to a surface, could support selectin-mediated rolling of all leukocytes. Thrombin-activated platelets could further induce neutrophil activation and immobilisation. In some conditions, platelets could bind to intact endothelial monolayers and capture neutrophils or monocytes. Subsequently, we found that extracellular vesicles released by activated platelets (PEV) fulfilled similar functions when deposited on surfaces or bound to endothelial cells. In murine models, platelets or PEV could act as bridges for monocytes in inflamed vessels. Thus, leukocytes and platelets are rheologically adapted for their separate functions, while novel thrombo-inflammatory pathways using platelets or PEV may underlie pathogenic leukocyte recruitment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerard B Nash
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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3
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Williams DC, Wood DK. High-throughput quantification of red blood cell deformability and oxygen saturation to probe mechanisms of sickle cell disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2313755120. [PMID: 37983504 PMCID: PMC10691249 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313755120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The complex, systemic pathology of sickle cell disease is driven by multiple mechanisms including red blood cells (RBCs) stiffened by polymerized fibers of deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin. A critical step toward understanding the pathologic role of polymer-containing RBCs is quantifying the biophysical changes in these cells in physiologically relevant oxygen environments. We have developed a microfluidic platform capable of simultaneously measuring single RBC deformability and oxygen saturation under controlled oxygen and shear stress. We found that RBCs with detectable amounts of polymer have decreased oxygen affinity and decreased deformability. Surprisingly, the deformability of the polymer-containing cells is oxygen-independent, while the fraction of these cells increases as oxygen decreases. We also find that some fraction of these cells is present at most physiologic oxygen tensions, suggesting a role for these cells in the systemic pathologies. Additionally, the ability to measure these pathological cells should provide clearer targets for evaluating therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon C. Williams
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455
| | - David K. Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455
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4
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McNamee AP, Griffith TA, Smith AG, Kuck L, Simmonds MJ. Accelerated Hemocompatibility Testing of Rotary Blood Pumps. ASAIO J 2023; 69:918-923. [PMID: 37256782 DOI: 10.1097/mat.0000000000001995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Ex vivo hemocompatibility testing is a vital element of preclinical assessment for blood-contacting medical devices. Current approaches are resource intensive; thus, we investigated the feasibility of accelerating hemocompatibility testing by standardizing the number of pump exposures in loops of various sizes. Three identical blood loops were constructed, each with a custom-molded reservoir able to facilitate large-volume expansion. Using the HVAD rotary blood pump operating at 5 L·min -1 and 100 mmHg, three test volumes (80, 160, and 320 ml) were circulated for 4000 pump exposures. Blood sampling was performed at individualized intervals every one-sixth of total duration for the assessment of hemolysis and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) degradation. While steady increases in hemolysis (~24 mg·dl -1 ) were identified in all tests at completion, loop volume was not a primary discriminator. The normalized index of hemolysis did not vary significantly between loops (4.2-4.9 mg·100 L -1 ). vWF degradation progressively occurred with duration of testing to a similar extent under all conditions. These data support an accelerated approach to preclinical assessment of ex vivo blood damage. Adopting this approach enables: enhanced efficiency for rapid prototyping; reduced ex vivo blood aging, and; greater utility of blood, which is presently limited if 450 ml loops are desired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antony P McNamee
- From the Biorheology Research Laboratory, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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5
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Gautam D, Srivastava A, Chowdhury R, Laskar IR, Rao VKP, Mukherjee S. Mechanical microscopy of cancer cells: TGF-β induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition corresponds to low intracellular viscosity in cancer cells. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:1787-1799. [PMID: 37725520 DOI: 10.1121/10.0020848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Viscosity is an essential parameter that regulates bio-molecular reaction rates of diffusion-driven cellular processes. Hence, abnormal viscosity levels are often associated with various diseases and malfunctions like cancer. For this reason, monitoring intracellular viscosity becomes vital. While several approaches have been developed for in vitro and in vivo measurement of viscosity, analysis of intracellular viscosity in live cells has not yet been well realized. Our research introduces a novel, natural frequency-based, non-invasive method to determine the intracellular viscosity in cells. This method can not only efficiently analyze the differences in intracellular viscosity post modulation with molecules like PEG or glucose but is sensitive enough to distinguish the difference in intra-cellular viscosity among various cancer cell lines such as Huh-7, MCF-7, and MDAMB-231. Interestingly, TGF-β a cytokine reported to induce epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a feature associated with cancer invasiveness resulted in reduced viscosity of cancer cells, as captured through our method. To corroborate our findings with existing methods of analysis, we analyzed intra-cellular viscosity with a previously described viscosity-sensitive molecular rotor-based fluorophore-TPSII. In parity with our position sensing device (PSD)-based approach, an increase in fluorescence intensity was observed with viscosity enhancers, while, TGF-β exposure resulted in its reduction in the cells studied. This is the first study of its kind that attempts to characterize differences in intracellular viscosity using a novel, non-invasive PSD-based method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diplesh Gautam
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan 333 031, India
| | - Abhilasha Srivastava
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan 333 031, India
| | - Rajdeep Chowdhury
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan 333 031, India
| | - Inamur R Laskar
- Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan 333 031, India
| | - Venkatesh K P Rao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan 333 031, India
| | - Sudeshna Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan 333 031, India
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6
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Nouaman M, Darras A, John T, Simionato G, Rab MAE, van Wijk R, Laschke MW, Kaestner L, Wagner C, Recktenwald SM. Effect of Cell Age and Membrane Rigidity on Red Blood Cell Shape in Capillary Flow. Cells 2023; 12:1529. [PMID: 37296651 PMCID: PMC10252257 DOI: 10.3390/cells12111529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Blood flow in the microcirculatory system is crucially affected by intrinsic red blood cell (RBC) properties, such as their deformability. In the smallest vessels of this network, RBCs adapt their shapes to the flow conditions. Although it is known that the age of RBCs modifies their physical properties, such as increased cytosol viscosity and altered viscoelastic membrane properties, the evolution of their shape-adapting abilities during senescence remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of RBC properties on the microcapillary in vitro flow behavior and their characteristic shapes in microfluidic channels. For this, we fractioned RBCs from healthy donors according to their age. Moreover, the membranes of fresh RBCs were chemically rigidified using diamide to study the effect of isolated graded-membrane rigidity. Our results show that a fraction of stable, asymmetric, off-centered slipper-like cells at high velocities decreases with increasing age or diamide concentration. However, while old cells form an enhanced number of stable symmetric croissants at the channel centerline, this shape class is suppressed for purely rigidified cells with diamide. Our study provides further knowledge about the distinct effects of age-related changes of intrinsic cell properties on the single-cell flow behavior of RBCs in confined flows due to inter-cellular age-related cell heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Nouaman
- Dynamics of Fluids, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Alexis Darras
- Dynamics of Fluids, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Thomas John
- Dynamics of Fluids, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Greta Simionato
- Dynamics of Fluids, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Institute for Clinical and Experimental Surgery, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Minke A. E. Rab
- Central Diagnostic Laboratory-Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Richard van Wijk
- Central Diagnostic Laboratory-Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias W. Laschke
- Institute for Clinical and Experimental Surgery, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Lars Kaestner
- Dynamics of Fluids, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Theoretical Medicine and Biosciences, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany
| | - Christian Wagner
- Dynamics of Fluids, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
- Physics and Materials Science Research Unit, University of Luxembourg, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Steffen M. Recktenwald
- Dynamics of Fluids, Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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7
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Yu K, Jiang Y, Chen Y, Hu X, Chang J, Hartland GV, Wang GP. Compressible viscoelasticity of cell membranes determined by gigahertz-frequency acoustic vibrations. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2023; 31:100494. [PMID: 37131996 PMCID: PMC10149280 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Membrane viscosity is an important property of cell biology, which determines cellular function, development and disease progression. Various experimental and computational methods have been developed to investigate the mechanics of cells. However, there have been no experimental measurements of the membrane viscosity at high-frequencies in live cells. High frequency measurements are important because they can probe viscoelastic effects. Here, we investigate the membrane viscosity at gigahertz-frequencies through the damping of the acoustic vibrations of gold nanoplates. The experiments are modeled using a continuum mechanics theory which reveals that the membranes display viscoelasticity, with an estimated relaxation time of ca. 5.7 + 2.4 / - 2.7 ps. We further demonstrate that membrane viscoelasticity can be used to differentiate a cancerous cell line (the human glioblastoma cells LN-18) from a normal cell line (the mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells bEnd.3). The viscosity of cancerous cells LN-18 is lower than that of healthy cells bEnd.3 by a factor of three. The results indicate promising applications of characterizing membrane viscoelasticity at gigahertz-frequency in cell diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuai Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yiqi Jiang
- Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yungao Chen
- Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Xiaoyan Hu
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Junlei Chang
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Gregory V. Hartland
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
| | - Guo Ping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Corresponding author.
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8
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Amoudruz L, Economides A, Arampatzis G, Koumoutsakos P. The stress-free state of human erythrocytes: Data-driven inference of a transferable RBC model. Biophys J 2023; 122:1517-1525. [PMID: 36926695 PMCID: PMC10147838 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The stress-free state (SFS) of red blood cells (RBCs) is a fundamental reference configuration for the calibration of computational models, yet it remains unknown. Current experimental methods cannot measure the SFS of cells without affecting their mechanical properties, whereas computational postulates are the subject of controversial discussions. Here, we introduce data-driven estimates of the SFS shape and the visco-elastic properties of RBCs. We employ data from single-cell experiments that include measurements of the equilibrium shape of stretched cells and relaxation times of initially stretched RBCs. A hierarchical Bayesian model accounts for these experimental and data heterogeneities. We quantify, for the first time, the SFS of RBCs and use it to introduce a transferable RBC (t-RBC) model. The effectiveness of the proposed model is shown on predictions of unseen experimental conditions during the inference, including the critical stress of transitions between tumbling and tank-treading cells in shear flow. Our findings demonstrate that the proposed t-RBC model provides predictions of blood flows with unprecedented accuracy and quantified uncertainties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Amoudruz
- Computational Science and Engineering Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Athena Economides
- Computational Science and Engineering Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Georgios Arampatzis
- Computational Science and Engineering Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Petros Koumoutsakos
- Computational Science and Engineering Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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9
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Wang Z, Lu R, Wang W, Tian FB, Feng JJ, Sui Y. A computational model for the transit of a cancer cell through a constricted microchannel. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2023:10.1007/s10237-023-01705-6. [PMID: 36854992 PMCID: PMC10366299 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01705-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
We propose a three-dimensional computational model to simulate the transient deformation of suspended cancer cells flowing through a constricted microchannel. We model the cell as a liquid droplet enclosed by a viscoelastic membrane, and its nucleus as a smaller stiffer capsule. The cell deformation and its interaction with the suspending fluid are solved through a well-tested immersed boundary lattice Boltzmann method. To identify a minimal mechanical model that can quantitatively predict the transient cell deformation in a constricted channel, we conduct extensive parametric studies of the effects of the rheology of the cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus and compare the results with a recent experiment conducted on human leukaemia cells. We find that excellent agreement with the experiment can be achieved by employing a viscoelastic cell membrane model with the membrane viscosity depending on its mode of deformation (shear versus elongation). The cell nucleus limits the overall deformation of the whole cell, and its effect increases with the nucleus size. The present computational model may be used to guide the design of microfluidic devices to sort cancer cells, or to inversely infer cell mechanical properties from their flow-induced deformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Wang
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - R Lu
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - W Wang
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - F B Tian
- School of Engineering and Information Technology, University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - J J Feng
- Departments of Mathematics and Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada
| | - Y Sui
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK.
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10
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A mathematical model of fibrinogen-mediated erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion. Commun Biol 2023; 6:192. [PMID: 36801914 PMCID: PMC9938206 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04560-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Erythrocytes are deformable cells that undergo progressive biophysical and biochemical changes affecting the normal blood flow. Fibrinogen, one of the most abundant plasma proteins, is a primary determinant for changes in haemorheological properties, and a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the adhesion between human erythrocytes is measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and its effect observed by micropipette aspiration technique, in the absence and presence of fibrinogen. These experimental data are then used in the development of a mathematical model to examine the biomedical relevant interaction between two erythrocytes. Our designed mathematical model is able to explore the erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion forces and changes in erythrocyte morphology. AFM erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion data show that the work and detachment force necessary to overcome the adhesion between two erythrocytes increase in the presence of fibrinogen. The changes in erythrocyte morphology, the strong cell-cell adhesion and the slow separation of the two cells are successfully followed in the mathematical simulation. Erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion forces and energies are quantified and matched with experimental data. The changes observed on erythrocyte-erythrocyte interactions may give important insights about the pathophysiological relevance of fibrinogen and erythrocyte aggregation in hindering microcirculatory blood flow.
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11
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Pepona M, Gounley J, Randles A. Effect of constitutive law on the erythrocyte membrane response to large strains. COMPUTERS & MATHEMATICS WITH APPLICATIONS (OXFORD, ENGLAND : 1987) 2023; 132:145-160. [PMID: 38222470 PMCID: PMC10785665 DOI: 10.1016/j.camwa.2022.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Three constitutive laws, that is the Skalak, neo-Hookean and Yeoh laws, commonly employed for describing the erythrocyte membrane mechanics are theoretically analyzed and numerically investigated to assess their accuracy for capturing erythrocyte deformation characteristics and morphology. Particular emphasis is given to the nonlinear deformation regime, where it is known that the discrepancies between constitutive laws are most prominent. Hence, the experiments of optical tweezers and micropipette aspiration are considered here, for which relationships between the individual shear elastic moduli of the constitutive laws can also be established through analysis of the tension-deformation relationship. All constitutive laws were found to adequately predict the axial and transverse deformations of a red blood cell subjected to stretching with optical tweezers for a constant shear elastic modulus value. As opposed to Skalak law, the neo-Hookean and Yeoh laws replicated the erythrocyte membrane folding, that has been experimentally observed, with the trade-off of sustaining significant area variations. For the micropipette aspiration, the suction pressure-aspiration length relationship could be excellently predicted for a fixed shear elastic modulus value only when Yeoh law was considered. Importantly, the neo-Hookean and Yeoh laws reproduced the membrane wrinkling at suction pressures close to those experimentally measured. None of the constitutive laws suffered from membrane area compressibility in the micropipette aspiration case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Pepona
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - John Gounley
- Computational Sciences and Engineering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Amanda Randles
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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12
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Hareendranath S, Sathian SP. Dynamic response of red blood cells in health and disease. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:1219-1230. [PMID: 36688330 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01090a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The viscoelastic response of the red blood cells (RBCs) affected by hematological disorders become severely impaired by the altered biophysical and morphological properties. These include traits like reduced deformability, increased membrane viscosity, and change in cell shape, causing substantial changes in the overall hemodynamics. RBCs, by virtue of their highly elastic membrane and low bending rigidity, exhibit complex dynamics when exposed to cyclic, transient forces in the microcirculation. Here, we employ mesoscopic numerical simulations based on the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) framework to explore the dynamics of healthy, schizont stage malaria-infected and type 2 diabetes mellitus affected RBCs subjected to external time-dependent loads. The paper focuses on the imposition and cessation of external forcing on the cells of two different typologies, saw-tooth cyclic wave loading and sudden loads in the form of creep and relaxation phenomena. The effects of varying the rate of stress and the applied stress magnitude were investigated. Our simulations disclosed unique shape transitions of the hysteresis curves at varied loading rates. A careful analysis reveals a critical threshold of half cycle time of the from wherein the deformation of all cells observed, healthy or otherwise, falls under the nearly reversible deformation regime displaying minimal energy dissipation. Finally, we also examined the individual effects of the different constitutive and geometric characteristics attributed to the pathological cells and observed interesting recovery dynamics of spherocytes and cells having high shear moduli. The distinguished deformation behaviour of healthy and diseased cells could establish external force as a valuable initial biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sainath Hareendranath
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
| | - Sarith P Sathian
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
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13
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Gürbüz A, Pak OS, Taylor M, Sivaselvan MV, Sachs F. Effects of membrane viscoelasticity on the red blood cell dynamics in a microcapillary. Biophys J 2023:S0006-3495(23)00026-7. [PMID: 36639868 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) play key roles in their biological functions in microcirculation. In particular, RBCs must deform significantly to travel through microcapillaries with sizes comparable with or even smaller than their own. Although the dynamics of RBCs in microcapillaries have received considerable attention, the effect of membrane viscoelasticity has been largely overlooked. In this work, we present a computational study based on the boundary integral method and thin-shell mechanics to examine how membrane viscoelasticity influences the dynamics of RBCs flowing through straight and constricted microcapillaries. Our results reveal that the cell with a viscoelastic membrane undergoes substantially different motion and deformation compared with results based on a purely elastic membrane model. Comparisons with experimental data also suggest the importance of accounting for membrane viscoelasticity to properly capture the transient dynamics of an RBC flowing through a microcapillary. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the significant effects of membrane viscoelasticity on RBC dynamics in different microcapillary environments. The computational framework also lays the groundwork for more accurate quantitative modeling of the mechanical response of RBCs in their mechanotransduction process in subsequent investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Gürbüz
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California.
| | - On Shun Pak
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California
| | - Michael Taylor
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California
| | - Mettupalayam V Sivaselvan
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Frederick Sachs
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
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14
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Energy Dissipation in the Human Red Cell Membrane. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13010130. [PMID: 36671515 PMCID: PMC9856108 DOI: 10.3390/biom13010130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The membrane of the human red cell consists of a lipid bilayer and a so-called membrane skeleton attached on the cytoplasmic side of the bilayer. Upon the deformation of red cells, energy is dissipated in their cytoplasm and their membrane. As to the membrane, three contributions can be distinguished: (i) A two-dimensional shear deformation with the membrane viscosity as the frictional parameter; (ii) A motion of the membrane skeleton relative to the bilayer; (iii) A relative motion of the two monolayers of the bilayer. The frictional parameter in contributions (ii) and (iii) is a frictional coefficient specific for the respective contribution. This perspective describes the history up to recent advances in the knowledge of these contributions. It reviews the mechanisms of energy dissipation on a molecular scale and suggests new ones, particularly for the first contribution. It proposes a parametric fitting expected to shed light on the discrepant values found for the membrane viscosity by different experimental approaches. It proposes strategies that could allow the determination of the frictional coefficients pertaining to the second and the third contribution. It highlights the consequences characteristic times have on the state of the red cell membrane in circulation as well as on the adaptation of computer models to the red cell history in an in vitro experiment.
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15
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Long L, Chen H, He Y, Mu L, Luan Y. Lingering Dynamics of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Red Blood Cells in Retinal Arteriolar Bifurcations. J Funct Biomater 2022; 13:jfb13040205. [PMID: 36412846 PMCID: PMC9680457 DOI: 10.3390/jfb13040205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been proven that the deformability of red blood cells (RBC) is reduced owing to changes in mechanical properties, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. To probe the effects of RBC morphological and physical parameters on the flow field in bifurcated arterioles, three types of RBC models with various degrees of biconcave shapes were built based on the in vitro experimental data. The dynamic behaviors of the RBCs in shear flow were simulated to validate the feasibility of the finite element-Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method with a moving mesh. The influences of the shear rate and viscosity ratios on RBC motions were investigated. The motion of RBCs in arteriolar bifurcations was further simulated. Abnormal variations in the morphological and physical parameters of RBCs may lead to diminished tank-tread motion and enhanced tumbling motion in shear flow. Moreover, abnormal RBC variations can result in slower RBC motion at the bifurcation with a longer transmit time and greater flow resistance, which may further cause inadequate local oxygen supply. These findings would provide useful insights into the microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Long
- Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116000, China
| | - Huimin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116000, China
| | - Ying He
- Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116000, China
- Correspondence:
| | - Lizhong Mu
- Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116000, China
| | - Yong Luan
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116011, China
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16
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Rezghi A, Zhang J. Tank-treading dynamics of red blood cells in shear flow: On the membrane viscosity rheology. Biophys J 2022; 121:3393-3410. [PMID: 35986517 PMCID: PMC9515232 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In this article, extensive three-dimensional simulations are conducted for tank-treading (TT) red blood cells (RBCs) in shear flow with different cell viscous properties and flow conditions. Apart from recent numerical studies on TT RBCs, this research considers the uncertainty in cytoplasm viscosity, covers a more complete range of shear flow situations of available experiments, and examines the TT behaviors in more details. Key TT characteristics, including the rotation frequency, deformation index, and inclination angle, are compared with available experimental results of similar shear flow conditions. Fairly good simulation-experiment agreements for these parameters can be obtained by adjusting the membrane viscosity values; however, different rheological relationships between the membrane viscosity and the flow shear rate are noted for these comparisons: shear thinning from the TT frequency, Newtonian from the inclination angle, and shear thickening from the cell deformation. Previous studies claimed a shear-thinning membrane viscosity model based on the TT frequency results; however, such a conclusion seems premature from our results and more carefully designed and better controlled investigations are required for the RBC membrane rheology. In addition, our simulation results reveal complicate RBC TT features and such information could be helpful for a better understanding of in vivo and in vitro RBC dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Rezghi
- Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Junfeng Zhang
- Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
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17
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Shao M, Zhong MC, Wang Z, Ke Z, Zhong Z, Zhou J. Non-Invasive Dynamic Reperfusion of Microvessels In Vivo Controlled by Optical Tweezers. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:952537. [PMID: 35910027 PMCID: PMC9331193 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.952537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Distributive shock is considered to be a condition of microvascular hypoperfusion, which can be fatal in severe cases. However, traditional therapeutic methods to restore the macro blood flow are difficult to accurately control the blood perfusion of microvessels, and the currently developed manipulation techniques are inevitably incompatible with biological systems. In our approach, infrared optical tweezers are used to dynamically control the microvascular reperfusion within subdermal capillaries in the pinna of mice. Furthermore, we estimate the effect of different optical trap positions on reperfusion at branch and investigate the effect of the laser power on reperfusion. The results demonstrate the ability of optical tweezers to control microvascular reperfusion. This strategy allows near-noninvasive reperfusion of the microvascular hypoperfusion in vivo. Hence, our work is expected to provide unprecedented insights into the treatment of distributive shock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Shao
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Measuring Theory and Precision Instrument, School of Instrument Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
| | - Min-Cheng Zhong
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Measuring Theory and Precision Instrument, School of Instrument Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China
- *Correspondence: Min-Cheng Zhong, ; Jinhua Zhou,
| | - Zixin Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Zeyu Ke
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Zhensheng Zhong
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Jinhua Zhou
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- *Correspondence: Min-Cheng Zhong, ; Jinhua Zhou,
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18
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Matthews K, Lamoureux ES, Myrand-Lapierre ME, Duffy SP, Ma H. Technologies for measuring red blood cell deformability. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:1254-1274. [PMID: 35266475 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc01058a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Human red blood cells (RBCs) are approximately 8 μm in diameter, but must repeatedly deform through capillaries as small as 2 μm in order to deliver oxygen to all parts of the body. The loss of this capability is associated with the pathology of many diseases, and is therefore a potential biomarker for disease status and treatment efficacy. Measuring RBC deformability is a difficult problem because of the minute forces (∼pN) that must be exerted on these cells, as well as the requirements for throughput and multiplexing. The development of technologies for measuring RBC deformability date back to the 1960s with the development of micropipette aspiration, ektacytometry, and the cell transit analyzer. In the past 10 years, significant progress has been made using microfluidics by leveraging the ability to precisely control fluid flow through microstructures at the size scale of individual RBCs. These technologies have now surpassed traditional methods in terms of sensitivity, throughput, consistency, and ease of use. As a result, these efforts are beginning to move beyond feasibility studies and into applications to enable biomedical discoveries. In this review, we provide an overview of both traditional and microfluidic techniques for measuring RBC deformability. We discuss the capabilities of each technique and compare their sensitivity, throughput, and robustness in measuring bulk and single-cell RBC deformability. Finally, we discuss how these tools could be used to measure changes in RBC deformability in the context of various applications including pathologies caused by malaria and hemoglobinopathies, as well as degradation during storage in blood bags prior to blood transfusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerryn Matthews
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Erik S Lamoureux
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Marie-Eve Myrand-Lapierre
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Simon P Duffy
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Institute of Technology, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hongshen Ma
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Urologic Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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19
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Liu ZL, Li H, Qiang Y, Buffet P, Dao M, Karniadakis GE. Computational modeling of biomechanics and biorheology of heated red blood cells. Biophys J 2021; 120:4663-4671. [PMID: 34619119 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.09.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Because of their compromised deformability, heat denatured erythrocytes have been used as labeled probes to visualize spleen tissue or to assess the ability of the spleen to retain stiff red blood cells (RBCs) for over three decades, e.g., see Looareesuwan et al. N. Engl. J. Med. (1987). Despite their good accessibility, it is still an open question how heated RBCs compare to certain diseased RBCs in terms of their biomechanical and biorheological responses, which may undermine their effective usage and even lead to misleading experimental observations. To help answering this question, we perform a systematic computational study of the hemorheological properties of heated RBCs with several physiologically relevant static and hemodynamic settings, including optical-tweezers test, relaxation of prestretched RBCs, RBC traversal through a capillary-like channel and a spleen-like slit, and a viscometric rheology test. We show that our in silico RBC models agree well with existing experiments. Moreover, under static tests, heated RBCs exhibit deformability deterioration comparable to certain disease-impaired RBCs such as those in malaria. For RBC traversal under confinement (through microchannel or slit), heated RBCs show prolonged transit time or retention depending on the level of confinement and heating procedure, suggesting that carefully heat-treated RBCs may be useful for studying splenic- or vaso-occlusion in vascular pathologies. For the rheology test, we expand the existing bulk viscosity data of heated RBCs to a wider range of shear rates (1-1000 s-1) to represent most pathophysiological conditions in macro- or microcirculation. Although heated RBC suspension shows elevated viscosity comparable to certain diseased RBC suspensions under relatively high shear rates (100-1000 s-1), they underestimate the elevated viscosity (e.g., in sickle cell anemia) at low shear rates (<10 s-1). Our work provides mechanistic rationale for selective usage of heated RBC as a potentially useful model for studying the abnormal traversal dynamics and hemorheology in certain blood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - He Li
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
| | - Yuhao Qiang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Pierre Buffet
- Université Paris Descartes, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, Paris, France
| | - Ming Dao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - George Em Karniadakis
- Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
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20
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Modeling Red Blood Cell Viscosity Contrast Using Inner Soft Particle Suspension. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:mi12080974. [PMID: 34442596 PMCID: PMC8398941 DOI: 10.3390/mi12080974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The inner viscosity of a biological red blood cell is about five times larger than the viscosity of the blood plasma. In this work, we use dissipative particles to enable the proper viscosity contrast in a mesh-based red blood cell model. Each soft particle represents a coarse-grained virtual cluster of hemoglobin proteins contained in the cytosol of the red blood cell. The particle interactions are governed by conservative and dissipative forces. The conservative forces have purely repulsive character, whereas the dissipative forces depend on the relative velocity between the particles. We design two computational experiments that mimic the classical viscometers. With these experiments we study the effects of particle suspension parameters on the inner cell viscosity and provide parameter sets that result in the correct viscosity contrast. The results are validated with both static and dynamic biological experiment, showing an improvement in the accuracy of the original model without major increase in computational complexity.
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21
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Guglietta F, Behr M, Falcucci G, Sbragaglia M. Loading and relaxation dynamics of a red blood cell. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:5978-5990. [PMID: 34048527 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00246e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We use mesoscale numerical simulations to investigate the unsteady dynamics of a single red blood cell (RBC) subjected to an external mechanical load. We carry out a detailed comparison between the loading (L) dynamics, following the imposition of the mechanical load on the RBC at rest, and the relaxation (R) dynamics, allowing the RBC to relax to its original shape after the sudden arrest of the mechanical load. Such a comparison is carried out by analyzing the characteristic times of the two corresponding dynamics, i.e., tL and tR. When the intensity of the mechanical load is small enough, the two kinds of dynamics are symmetrical (tL≈tR) and independent of the typology of mechanical load (intrinsic dynamics); otherwise, in marked contrast, an asymmetry is found, wherein the loading dynamics is typically faster than the relaxation one. This asymmetry manifests itself with non-universal characteristics, e.g., dependency on the applied load and/or on the viscoelastic properties of the RBC membrane. To deepen such a non-universal behaviour, we consider the viscosity of the erythrocyte membrane as a variable parameter and focus on three different typologies of mechanical load (mechanical stretching, shear flow, elongational flow): this allows to clarify how non-universality builds up in terms of the deformation and rotational contributions induced by the mechanical load on the membrane. Finally, we also investigate the effect of the elastic shear modulus on the characteristic times tL and tR. Our results provide crucial and quantitative information on the unsteady dynamics of RBC and its membrane response to the imposition/cessation of external mechanical loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Guglietta
- Department of Physics & INFN, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy. and Chair for Computational Analysis of Technical Systems (CATS), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany and Computation-Based Science and Technology Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, 20 Konstantinou Kavafi Str., 2121 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Marek Behr
- Chair for Computational Analysis of Technical Systems (CATS), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Giacomo Falcucci
- Department of Enterprise Engineering "Mario Lucertini", University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy and Department of Physics, Harvard University, 17 Oxford Street, 02138 Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mauro Sbragaglia
- Department of Physics & INFN, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
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22
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Gómez F, Silva LS, Araújo GRDS, Frases S, Pinheiro AAS, Agero U, Pontes B, Viana NB. Effect of cell geometry in the evaluation of erythrocyte viscoelastic properties. Phys Rev E 2021; 101:062403. [PMID: 32688571 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.101.062403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The red blood cell membrane-cytoskeleton is a complex structure mainly responsible for giving the cell rigidity and shape. It also provides the erythrocyte with the ability to pass through narrow capillaries of the vertebrate blood circulatory system. Although the red blood cell viscoelastic properties have been extensively studied, reported experimental data differ by up to three orders of magnitude. This could be attributed to the natural cell variability, to the different techniques employed, and also to the models used for the cell response, which are highly dependent on cell geometry. Here, we use two methodologies based on optical tweezers to investigate the viscoelastic behavior of healthy human red blood cells, one applying small cell deformations (microrheology) and another imposing large deformations (tether extraction). We also establish a defocusing microscopy-based method to characterize the cell geometry and thus the erythrocyte form factor, an essential parameter that allows comparisons among the viscoelastic properties at different conditions. Moreover, for small deformations, a soft glassy rheology model is used to discuss the results, while for large deformations two surface shear moduli and one surface viscosity are determined, together with the surface tension and bending modulus of the erythrocyte membrane lipid component. We also show that F-actin is not detected in tethers, although the erythrocyte membrane has physical properties like those of other adherent cells, known to have tethers containing F-actin inside. Altogether, our results show good agreement with the reported literature and we argue that, to properly compare the viscoelastic properties of red blood cells in different situations, the task of cell geometry characterization must be accomplished. This may be especially important when the influence of agents, like the malaria parasite, induces changes in both the geometry and chemical constituents of the erythrocyte membrane. Together, the new methodologies and procedures used in this study would allow the erythrocyte community to better explore the mechanical behavior of red blood cells and may be useful to characterize erythrocyte viscoelasticity changes in several blood diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fran Gómez
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil.,LPO-COPEA, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil.,CENABIO - Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Leandro S Silva
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil
| | | | - Susana Frases
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Ana Acacia S Pinheiro
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Ubirajara Agero
- Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Bruno Pontes
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil.,LPO-COPEA, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil.,CENABIO - Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Nathan Bessa Viana
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil.,LPO-COPEA, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil.,CENABIO - Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil
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23
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Lin T, Wang Z, Wang W, Sui Y. A neural network-based algorithm for high-throughput characterisation of viscoelastic properties of flowing microcapsules. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:4027-4039. [PMID: 33480936 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm02121k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microcapsules, consisting of a liquid droplet enclosed by a viscoelastic membrane, have a wide range of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications and also serve as a popular mechanical model for biological cells. In this study, we develop a novel high throughput approach, by combining a machine learning method with a high-fidelity mechanistic capsule model, to accurately predict the membrane elasticity and viscosity of microcapsules from their dynamic deformation when flowing in a branched microchannel. The machine learning method consists of a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) connected by a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. We demonstrate that with a superior prediction accuracy the present hybrid DCNN-LSTM network can still be faster than a conventional inverse method by five orders of magnitude, and can process thousands of capsules per second. We also show that the hybrid network has fewer restrictions compared with a simple DCNN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Lin
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Wen Wang
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
| | - Yi Sui
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
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24
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Li P, Zhang J. Similar but Distinct Roles of Membrane and Interior Fluid Viscosities in Capsule Dynamics in Shear Flows. Cardiovasc Eng Technol 2021; 12:232-249. [PMID: 33483917 DOI: 10.1007/s13239-020-00517-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The dynamics of biological capsules and red blood cells in shear flows has been studied extensively with experimental, analytical, and numerical methods. In particular, the effects of various parameters, including the shear rate or shear stress, membrane elasticity, capsule shape, and interior fluid viscosity, have been investigated carefully. The role of the membrane viscosity for capsule deformation dynamics has not been examined adequately. In previous studies, the so-called energy dissipation ratio has been used to account for the membrane viscosity effect by increasing the interior viscosity; however, the applicability and accuracy of this treatment have not been evaluated carefully. METHODS In this study, using the recently developed finite-difference scheme for immersed boundary simulations of viscoelastic membranes, we conduct comprehensive numerical simulations of the deformation processes of an originally spherical capsule in shear flows with various combinations of membrane and interior fluid viscosities. RESULTS Our results show that the membrane and interior fluid viscosity have similar however different effects on the capsule deformation dynamics. While the capsule deformation decreases with both membrane and interior fluid viscosities, a typical decrease-then-increase variation is observed for the inclination angle as the membrane viscosity increases, instead of the monotonic decrease in the inclination angle with the interior fluid viscosity increase. Also, although both large membrane and interior fluid viscosity values can introduce oscillations in the capsule deformation and inclination, larger aptitudes and slow decay processes are noticed at larger membrane viscosities. The variations of other dynamic parameters of the capsule, including the circumference, average membrane velocity, and rotation frequency, are also analyzed, and an intuitive mechanism is proposed to relate the membrane velocity and rotation frequency to the capsule deformation and inclination angle. The simple mechanism is then applied to explain the spoon-like variation patterns for membrane velocity and rotation frequency observed in our results. Furthermore, we examine the validity of the energy dissipation ratio approach based on the mathematical functional dependence. CONCLUSIONS Our results and analysis show that the dissipation ratio is a system and process dependent variable and it cannot be treated as a constant even for the same capsule. This research is valuable for a better understanding of the complex capsule dynamics in flows and also suggests that the membrane viscosity needs to be considered explicitly for accurate and reliable results in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Li
- Bharti School of Engineering, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Junfeng Zhang
- Bharti School of Engineering, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada.
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25
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Saadat A, Huyke DA, Oyarzun DI, Escobar PV, Øvreeide IH, Shaqfeh ESG, Santiago JG. A system for the high-throughput measurement of the shear modulus distribution of human red blood cells. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:2927-2936. [PMID: 32648561 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00283f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Reduced deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) can affect the hemodynamics of the microcirculation and reduce oxygen transport efficiency. It is also well known that reduced RBC deformability is a signature of various physical disorders, including sepsis, and that the primary determinant of RBC deformability is the membrane shear modulus. To measure the distribution of an individual's RBC shear modulus with high throughput, we a) developed a high-fidelity computational model of RBCs in confined microchannels to inform design decisions; b) created a novel experimental system combining microfluidic flow, imaging, and image analysis; and c) performed automated comparisons between measured quantities and numerical predictions to extract quantitative measures of the RBC shear modulus for each of thousands of cells. We applied our computational simulation platform to construct the appropriate deformability figure(s) of merit to quantify RBC stiffness based on an experimentally measured, steady-state cell shape in flow through a microchannel. In particular, we determined a shape parameter based on the second moment of the cell shape that is sensitive to the changes in the membrane stiffness and cell size. We then conducted microfluidic experiments and developed custom automated image processing codes to identify and track the position and shape of individual RBCs within micro-constrictions. The fabricated microchannels include a square cross-section imaging region (7 by 7 μm) and we applied order 10 kPa pressure differences to induce order 10 mm s-1 cell velocities. The combination of modeling, microfluidics, and imaging enables, for the first time, quantitative measurement of the shear moduli of thousands of RBCs in human blood samples. We demonstrate the high-throughput features by sensitive quantification of the changes in the distribution of RBC stiffness with aging. This combined measurement and computational platform is ultimately intended to diagnose blood cell disorders in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Saadat
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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26
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Guglietta F, Behr M, Biferale L, Falcucci G, Sbragaglia M. On the effects of membrane viscosity on transient red blood cell dynamics. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:6191-6205. [PMID: 32567630 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00587h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is currently used to design and improve the hydraulic properties of biomedical devices, wherein the large scale blood circulation needs to be simulated by accounting for the mechanical response of red blood cells (RBCs) at the mesoscale. In many practical instances, biomedical devices work on time-scales comparable to the intrinsic relaxation time of RBCs: thus, a systematic understanding of the time-dependent response of erythrocyte membranes is crucial for the effective design of such devices. So far, this information has been deduced from experimental data, which do not necessarily adapt to the broad variety of fluid dynamic conditions that can be encountered in practice. This work explores the novel possibility of studying the time-dependent response of an erythrocyte membrane to external mechanical loads via mesoscale numerical simulations, with a primary focus on the detailed characterisation of the RBC relaxation time tc following the arrest of the external mechanical load. The adopted mesoscale model exploits a hybrid Immersed Boundary-Lattice Boltzmann Method (IB-LBM), coupled with the Standard Linear Solid (SLS) model to account for the RBC membrane viscosity. We underscore the key importance of the 2D membrane viscosity μm to correctly reproduce the relaxation time of the RBC membrane. A detailed assessment of the dependencies on the typology and strength of the applied mechanical loads is also provided. Overall, our findings open interesting future perspectives for the study of the non-linear response of RBCs immersed in time-dependent strain fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Guglietta
- Department of Physics & INFN, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy. and Chair for Computational Analysis of Technical Systems (CATS), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany and Computation-Based Science and Technology Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, 20 Konstantinou Kavafi Str., 2121 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Marek Behr
- Chair for Computational Analysis of Technical Systems (CATS), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Luca Biferale
- Department of Physics & INFN, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giacomo Falcucci
- Department of Enterprise Engineering "Mario Lucertini", University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Physics, Harvard University, 33 Oxford Street, 02138 Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mauro Sbragaglia
- Department of Physics & INFN, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
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Faivre M, Renoux C, Bessaa A, Da Costa L, Joly P, Gauthier A, Connes P. Mechanical Signature of Red Blood Cells Flowing Out of a Microfluidic Constriction Is Impacted by Membrane Elasticity, Cell Surface-to-Volume Ratio and Diseases. Front Physiol 2020; 11:576. [PMID: 32595519 PMCID: PMC7303906 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the fact that Red Blood Cells (RBCs) have been intensively studied in the past 50 years to characterize mechanical phenotypes associated with both healthy and pathological states, only ektacytometry (i.e., laser diffractometry) is currently used by hematologists to screen for RBC membrane disorders. Therefore, the development of new diagnostic tools able to perform analysis at the scale of a single cell, over a statistically relevant population, would provide important complementary information. But these new diagnostic tools would have to be able to discriminate between different disorders causing a change in RBCs mechanical properties. We evaluated the mechanical response of artificially rigidified RBCs flowing through a microfluidic constriction. The geometry consists in a 50 μm wide channel with a succession of 14 tooth-like patterns, each composed of a 5 μm wide and 10 μm long constriction, associated with a 25 μm wide and 10 μm long enlargement. RBCs deformability was altered using two chemical treatments, known to affect RBCs membrane surface area and membrane deformability, lysolecithine (LPC) and diamide, respectively. Differences between samples were highlighted by the representation of the inverse of the shape recovery time (1/τ r ), versus the extension at the exit of the constriction, D out . The results demonstrate that our approach is able to provide a direct signature of RBCs membrane composition and architecture, as it allows discriminating the effect of changes in RBCs membrane surface area from changes in RBCs membrane deformability. Finally, in order to evaluate the potential of our microsystem to detect pathological cells, we have performed preliminary experiments on patients with Hereditary Spherocytosis (HS) or Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA).
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Affiliation(s)
- Magalie Faivre
- Université de Lyon, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon INL-UMR 5270 CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Céline Renoux
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité (LIBM) EA7424, Equipe “Biologie Vasculaire et du Globule Rouge”, UCBL1, Villeurbanne, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence (Labex) GR-Ex, Paris, France
- Biochimie des Pathologies Érythrocytaires, Centre de Biologie et de Pathologie Est, HCL, Bron, France
| | - Amel Bessaa
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité (LIBM) EA7424, Equipe “Biologie Vasculaire et du Globule Rouge”, UCBL1, Villeurbanne, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence (Labex) GR-Ex, Paris, France
| | - Lydie Da Costa
- Laboratoire d’Excellence (Labex) GR-Ex, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Service d’Hématologie Biologique, Hôpital Robert-Debré, Paris, France
- Université Paris Diderot, Université Sorbonne, Paris Cité, Paris, France
- INSERM U1149, CRI, Faculté de Médecine Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Joly
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité (LIBM) EA7424, Equipe “Biologie Vasculaire et du Globule Rouge”, UCBL1, Villeurbanne, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence (Labex) GR-Ex, Paris, France
- Biochimie des Pathologies Érythrocytaires, Centre de Biologie et de Pathologie Est, HCL, Bron, France
| | - Alexandra Gauthier
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité (LIBM) EA7424, Equipe “Biologie Vasculaire et du Globule Rouge”, UCBL1, Villeurbanne, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence (Labex) GR-Ex, Paris, France
- Institut d’Hématologie et d’Oncologie Pédiatrique (IHOP), Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Philippe Connes
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité (LIBM) EA7424, Equipe “Biologie Vasculaire et du Globule Rouge”, UCBL1, Villeurbanne, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence (Labex) GR-Ex, Paris, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Link A, Franke T. Acoustic erythrocytometer for mechanically probing cell viscoelasticity. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:1991-1998. [PMID: 32367091 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00999j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate an acoustic device to mechanically probe a population of red blood cells at the single cell level. The device operates by exciting a surface acoustic wave in a microfluidic channel creating a stationary acoustic wave field of nodes and antinodes. Erythrocytes are attracted to the nodes and are deformed. Using a stepwise increasing and periodically oscillating acoustic field we study the static and dynamic deformation of individual red blood cells one by one. We quantify the deformation by the Taylor deformation index D and relaxation times τ1 and τ2 that reveal both the viscous and elastic properties of the cells. The precision of the measurement allows us to distinguish between individual cells in the suspension and provides a quantitative viscoelastic fingerprint of the blood sample at single cell resolution. The method overcomes limitations of other techniques that provide averaged values and has the potential for high-throughput.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Link
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Oakfield Avenue, G12 8LT, Glasgow, UK.
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29
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Measuring Membrane Viscosity in the Widening Gyre. Biophys J 2020; 118:1511-1513. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.01.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Nikfar M, Razizadeh M, Zhang J, Paul R, Wu ZJ, Liu Y. Prediction of mechanical hemolysis in medical devices via a Lagrangian strain-based multiscale model. Artif Organs 2020; 44:E348-E368. [PMID: 32017130 DOI: 10.1111/aor.13663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
This work introduces a new Lagrangian strain-based model to predict the shear-induced hemolysis in biomedical devices. Current computational models for device-induced hemolysis usually utilize empirical fitting of the released free hemoglobin (Hb) in plasma from damaged red blood cells (RBCs). These empirical correlations contain parameters that depend on specific device and operating conditions, thus cannot be used to predict hemolysis in a general device. The proposed algorithm does not have any empirical parameters, thus can presumably be used for hemolysis prediction in various blood-wetting medical devices. In contrast to empirical correlations in which the Hb release is related to the shear stress and exposure time without considering the physical processes, the proposed model links flow-induced deformation of the RBC membrane to membrane permeabilization and Hb release. In this approach, once the steady-state numerical solution of blood flow in the device is obtained under a prescribed operating condition, sample path lines are traced from the inlet of the device to the outlet to calculate the history of the shear stress tensor. In solving the fluid flow, it is assumed that RBCs do not have any influence on the flow pattern. Along each path line, shear stress tensor will be input into a coarse-grained (CG) RBC model to calculate the RBC deformation. Then the correlations obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are applied to relate the local areal RBC deformation to the perforated area on the RBC membrane. Finally, Hb released out of transient pores is calculated over each path line via a diffusion equation considering the effects of the steric hindrance and increased hydrodynamic drag due to the size of the Hb molecule. The total index of hemolysis (IH) is calculated by integration of released Hb over all the path lines in the computational domain. Hemolysis generated in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nozzle and two blood pumps, that is, a CentriMag blood pump (a centrifugal pump) and HeartMate II (an axial pump), for different flow regimes including the laminar and turbulent flows are calculated via the proposed algorithm. In all the simulations, the numerical predicted IH is close to the range of experimental data. The results promisingly indicate that this multiscale approach can be used as a tool for predicting hemolysis and optimizing the hematologic design of other types of blood-wetting devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Nikfar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Meghdad Razizadeh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Jiafeng Zhang
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ratul Paul
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
| | - Zhongjun J Wu
- Department of Surgery, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yaling Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
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31
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Amirouche A, Esteves J, Lavoignat A, Picot S, Ferrigno R, Faivre M. Dual shape recovery of red blood cells flowing out of a microfluidic constriction. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:024116. [PMID: 32549922 PMCID: PMC7190370 DOI: 10.1063/5.0005198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Micropipette aspiration, optical tweezers, rheometry, or ecktacytometry have been used to study the shape recovery of healthy human Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and measure associated relaxation times of the order of 100-300 ms. These measurements are in good agreement with the Kelvin-Voigt model, which describes the cell as a visco-elastic material, predicting that its relaxation time only depends on cell intrinsic properties. However, such mechanical solicitation techniques are far from being relevant regarding RBC solicitation in vivo. In this paper, we report for the first time the existence of two different behaviors of the RBC shape recovery while flowing out of a microfluidic constricted channel. The calculation of the viscous stress corresponding to the frontier between the two recovery modes confirms that the RBC resistance to shear μ is the elastic property dominating the transition between the two recovery behaviors. We also quantified associated recovery times τ r and report values as low as 4 ms-which is almost two decades smaller than the typical RBC relaxation time-at high viscosity and flow velocity of the carrier fluid. Although we cannot talk about relaxation time because the cell is never at rest, we believe that the measured shape recovery time arises from the coupling of the cell intrinsic deformability and the hydrodynamic stress. Depending on the flow conditions, the cell mechanics becomes dominant and drives the shape recovery process, allowing the measurement of recovery times of the same order of magnitude than relaxation times previously published. Finally, we demonstrated that the measurement of the shape recovery time can be used to distinguish Plasmodium falciparum (causing malaria) infected RBCs from healthy RBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Amirouche
- Université de Lyon, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon INL-UMR5270 CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne F-69622, France
| | - J Esteves
- Université de Lyon, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon INL-UMR5270 CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne F-69622, France
| | - A Lavoignat
- Malaria Research Unit, SMITh, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires ICBMS-UMR5246 CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne F-69622, France
| | | | - R Ferrigno
- Université de Lyon, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon INL-UMR5270 CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne F-69622, France
| | - M Faivre
- Université de Lyon, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon INL-UMR5270 CNRS, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne F-69622, France
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Chernysh IN, Spiewak R, Cambor CL, Purohit PK, Weisel JW. Structure, mechanical properties, and modeling of cyclically compressed pulmonary emboli. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2020; 105:103699. [PMID: 32279846 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Pulmonary embolism occurs when blood flow to a part of the lungs is blocked by a venous thrombus that has traveled from the lower limbs. Little is known about the mechanical behavior of emboli under compressive forces from the surrounding musculature and blood pressure. We measured the stress-strain responses of human pulmonary emboli under cyclic compression, and showed that emboli exhibit a hysteretic stress-strain curve. The fibrin fibers and red blood cells (RBCs) are damaged during the compression process, causing irreversible changes in the structure of the emboli. We showed using electron and confocal microscopy that bundling of fibrin fibers occurs due to compression, and damage is accumulated as more cycles are applied. The stress-strain curves depend on embolus structure, such that variations in composition give quantitatively different responses. Emboli with a high fibrin component demonstrate higher normal stress compared to emboli that have a high RBC component. We compared the compression response of emboli to that of whole blood clots containing various volume fractions of RBCs, and found that RBCs rupture at a certain critical stress. We describe the hysteretic response characteristic of foams, using a model of phase transitions in which the compressed foam is segregated into coexisting rarefied and densified phases whose fractions change during compression. Our model takes account of the rupture of RBCs in the compressed emboli and stresses due to fluid flow through their small pores. Our results can help in classifying emboli as rich in fibrin or rich in red blood cells, and can help in understanding what responses to expect when stresses are applied to thrombi in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina N Chernysh
- Department of Cell Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Russell Spiewak
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Carolyn L Cambor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Prashant K Purohit
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - John W Weisel
- Department of Cell Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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33
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Abstract
The mechanisms underlying degradation of biological cells due to mechanical fatigue are not well understood. Specifically, detrimental effects of fatigue on properties and homeostasis of human red blood cells (RBCs), as they repeatedly deform while traversing microvasculature, have remained largely unexplored. We present a general microfluidics method that incorporates amplitude-modulated electrodeformation to induce static and cyclic mechanical deformation of RBCs. Fatigue of RBCs leads to significantly greater loss of membrane deformability, compared to static deformation under the same maximum load and maximum-load duration. These findings establish unique effects of cyclic mechanical deformation on the properties and function of biological cells. Our work provides a means to assess the mechanical integrity and fatigue damage of RBCs in blood circulation. Fatigue arising from cyclic straining is a key factor in the degradation of properties of engineered materials and structures. Fatigue can also induce damage and fracture in natural biomaterials, such as bone, and in synthetic biomaterials used in implant devices. However, the mechanisms by which mechanical fatigue leads to deterioration of physical properties and contributes to the onset and progression of pathological states in biological cells have hitherto not been systematically explored. Here we present a general method that employs amplitude-modulated electrodeformation and microfluidics for characterizing mechanical fatigue in single biological cells. This method is capable of subjecting cells to static loads for prolonged periods of time or to large numbers of controlled mechanical fatigue cycles. We apply the method to measure the systematic changes in morphological and biomechanical characteristics of healthy human red blood cells (RBCs) and their membrane mechanical properties. Under constant amplitude cyclic tensile deformation, RBCs progressively lose their ability to stretch with increasing fatigue cycles. Our results further indicate that loss of deformability of RBCs during cyclic deformation is much faster than that under static deformation at the same maximum load over the same accumulated loading time. Such fatigue-induced deformability loss is more pronounced at higher amplitudes of cyclic deformation. These results uniquely establish the important role of mechanical fatigue in influencing physical properties of biological cells. They further provide insights into the accumulated membrane damage during blood circulation, paving the way for further investigations of the eventual failure of RBCs causing hemolysis in various hemolytic pathologies.
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Gienger J, Gross H, Ost V, Bär M, Neukammer J. Assessment of deformation of human red blood cells in flow cytometry: measurement and simulation of bimodal forward scatter distributions. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 10:4531-4550. [PMID: 31565508 PMCID: PMC6757475 DOI: 10.1364/boe.10.004531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Light scattering by single cells is widely applied for flow cytometric differentiation of cells. However, even for human red blood cells (RBCs), which can be modeled as homogeneous dielectric particles, the potential of light scattering is not yet fully exploited. We developed a dedicated flow cytometer to simultaneously observe the forward scattering cross section (FSC) of RBCs for orthogonal laser beams with incident wave vectorsk → 1 andk → 2 . At a wavelength λ = 632.8 nm , bimodal distributions are observed in two-dimensional dot plots of FSC(k → 1 ) vs. FSC(k → 2 ), which result from the RBCs' random orientation around the direction of flow, as well as from the distributions of their size and their optical properties. Typically, signals of 7.5 × 10 4 RBCs were analyzed. We actively oriented the cells in the cytometer to prove that orientation is the main cause of bimodality. In addition, we studied the wavelength dependence of FSC(k → 1 ) using λ = 413.1 nm , 457.9 nm , 488 nm and 632.8 nm, covering both weak and strong light absorption by the RBCs. Simulations of the light scattering by single RBCs were performed using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) for a range of sizes, orientations and optical properties to obtain FSC distributions from RBC ensembles. Using the axisymmetric biconcave equilibrium shape of native RBCs, the experimentally observed distributions cannot be reproduced. If, however, an elongated shape model is employed that accounts for the stretching of the cell by hydrodynamic forces in the cytometer, the features of the strongly bimodal measured frequency distributions are reproduced by the simulation. Elongation ratios significantly greater than 1 in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 yield the best agreement between experiments and simulated data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Gienger
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestraße 2–12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hermann Gross
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestraße 2–12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Volker Ost
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestraße 2–12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
- Currently with Evangelische Zinzendorfschulen, Zittauer Straße 2, 02747 Herrnhut, Germany
| | - Markus Bär
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestraße 2–12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jörg Neukammer
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestraße 2–12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
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Anastasiadis P, Zinin PV. High-Frequency Time-Resolved Scanning Acoustic Microscopy for Biomedical Applications. Open Neuroimag J 2018. [DOI: 10.2174/1874440001812010069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
High-frequency focused ultrasound has emerged as a powerful modality for both biomedical imaging and elastography. It is gaining more attention due to its capability to outperform many other imaging modalities at a submicron resolution. Besides imaging, high-frequency ultrasound or acoustic biomicroscopy has been used in a wide range of applications to assess the elastic and mechanical properties at the tissue and single cell level. The interest in acoustic microscopy stems from the awareness of the relationship between biomechanical and the underlying biochemical processes in cells and the vast impact these interactions have on the onset and progression of disease. Furthermore, ultrasound biomicroscopy is characterized by its non-invasive and non-destructive approach. This, in turn, allows for spatiotemporal studies of dynamic processes without the employment of histochemistry that can compromise the integrity of the samples. Numerous techniques have been developed in the field of acoustic microscopy. This review paper discusses high-frequency ultrasound theory and applications for both imaging and elastography.
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Modeling erythrocyte electrodeformation in response to amplitude modulated electric waveforms. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10224. [PMID: 29976935 PMCID: PMC6033869 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28503-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a comprehensive theoretical-experimental framework for quantitative, high-throughput study of cell biomechanics. An improved electrodeformation method has been developed by combing dielectrophoresis and amplitude shift keying, a form of amplitude modulation. This method offers a potential to fully control the magnitude and rate of deformation in cell membranes. In healthy human red blood cells, nonlinear viscoelasticity of cell membranes is obtained through variable amplitude load testing. A mathematical model to predict cellular deformations is validated using the experimental results of healthy human red blood cells subjected to various types of loading. These results demonstrate new capabilities of the electrodeformation technique and the validated mathematical model to explore the effects of different loading configurations on the cellular mechanical behavior. This gives it more advantages over existing methods and can be further developed to study the effects of strain rate and loading waveform on the mechanical properties of biological cells in health and disease.
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Qiang Y, Liu J, Du E. Dielectrophoresis Testing of Nonlinear Viscoelastic Behaviors of Human Red Blood Cells. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:21. [PMID: 29682335 PMCID: PMC5909413 DOI: 10.3390/mi9010021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Dielectrophoresis in microfluidics provides a useful tool to test biomechanics of living cells, regardless of surface charges on cell membranes. We have designed an experimental method to characterize the nonlinear viscoelastic behaviors of single cells using dielectrophoresis in a microfluidic channel. This method uses radio frequency, low voltage excitations through interdigitated microelectrodes, allowing probing multiple cells simultaneously with controllable load levels. Dielectrophoretic force was calibrated using a triaxial ellipsoid model. Using a Kelvin-Voigt model, the nonlinear shear moduli of cell membranes were determined from the steady-state deformations of red blood cells in response to a series of electric field strengths. The nonlinear elastic moduli of cell membranes ranged from 6.05 μN/m to up to 20.85 μN/m, which were identified as a function of extension ratio, rather than the lumped-parameter models as reported in the literature. Value of the characteristic time of the extensional recovery of cell membranes initially deformed to varied extent was found to be about 0.14 s. Shear viscosity of cell membrane was estimated to be 0.8-2.9 (μN/m)·s. This method is particularly valuable for rapid, non-invasive probing of mechanical properties of living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - E Du
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA; (Y.Q.); (J.L.)
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Amirouche A, Faivre M, Chateaux JF, Ferrigno R. Determination of Red Blood Cell fatigue using electrodeformation. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017; 2017:3584-3587. [PMID: 29060673 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2017.8037632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In this work, we used electrodeformation (ED) [1] as a new strategy to evaluate the fatigue of healthy human Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Using dielectrophoresis (DEP) forces, we submitted RBCs to a series of elongation and relaxation cycles to model their mechanical stress in the blood circulation and we used their relaxation time as a marker to evaluate their fatigue. In this paper, we first investigated the dependency of the RBC mechanical response upon the experimental parameters, such as the viscosity ηout of the external medium, the amplitude ΔV of the applied voltage, the duration of the solicitation tsol, the number of solicitations N as well as the resting time trest between two solicitations. The impact of these parameters was evaluated through the analysis of both RBC deformation index D and relaxation time τ. Finally, the optimization of these parameters was used to monitor RBC fatigue.
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39
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Liang X, Chernysh I, Purohit PK, Weisel JW. Phase transitions during compression and decompression of clots from platelet-poor plasma, platelet-rich plasma and whole blood. Acta Biomater 2017; 60:275-290. [PMID: 28694237 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Blood clots are required to stem bleeding and are subject to a variety of stresses, but they can also block blood vessels and cause heart attacks and ischemic strokes. We measured the compressive response of human platelet-poor plasma (PPP) clots, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) clots and whole blood clots and correlated these measurements with confocal and scanning electron microscopy to track changes in clot structure. Stress-strain curves revealed four characteristic regions, for compression-decompression: (1) linear elastic region; (2) upper plateau or softening region; (3) non-linear elastic region or re-stretching of the network; (4) lower plateau in which dissociation of some newly made connections occurs. Our experiments revealed that compression proceeds by the passage of a phase boundary through the clot separating rarefied and densified phases. This observation motivates a model of fibrin mechanics based on the continuum theory of phase transitions, which accounts for the pre-stress caused by platelets, the adhesion of fibrin fibers in the densified phase, the compression of red blood cells (RBCs), and the pumping of liquids through the clot during compression/decompression. Our experiments and theory provide insights into the mechanical behavior of blood clots that could have implications clinically and in the design of fibrin-based biomaterials. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The objective of this paper is to measure and mathematically model the compression behavior of various human blood clots. We show by a combination of confocal and scanning electron microscopy that compression proceeds by the passage of a front through the sample that separates a densified region of the clot from a rarefied region, and that the compression/decompression response is reversible with hysteresis. These observations form the basis of a model for the compression response of clots based on the continuum theory of phase transitions. Our studies may reveal how clot rheology under large compression in vivo due to muscle contraction, platelet retraction and hydrodynamic flow varies under various pathophysiological conditions and could inform the design of fibrin based biomaterials.
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Chang HY, Li X, Karniadakis GE. Modeling of Biomechanics and Biorheology of Red Blood Cells in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Biophys J 2017; 113:481-490. [PMID: 28746858 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Erythrocytes in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are associated with reduced cell deformability and elevated blood viscosity, which contribute to impaired blood flow and other pathophysiological aspects of diabetes-related vascular complications. In this study, by using a two-component red blood cell (RBC) model and systematic parameter variation, we perform detailed computational simulations to probe the alteration of the biomechanical, rheological, and dynamic behavior of T2DM RBCs in response to morphological change and membrane stiffening. First, we examine the elastic response of T2DM RBCs subject to static tensile forcing and their viscoelastic relaxation response upon release of the stretching force. Second, we investigate the membrane fluctuations of T2DM RBCs and explore the effect of cell shape on the fluctuation amplitudes. Third, we subject the T2DM RBCs to shear flow and probe the effects of cell shape and effective membrane viscosity on their tank-treading movement. In addition, we model the cell dynamic behavior in a microfluidic channel with constriction and quantify the biorheological properties of individual T2DM RBCs. Finally, we simulate T2DM RBC suspensions under shear and compare the predicted viscosity with experimental measurements. Taken together, these simulation results and their comparison with currently available experimental data are helpful in identifying a specific parametric model-the first of its kind, to our knowledge-that best describes the main hallmarks of T2DM RBCs, which can be used in future simulation studies of hematologic complications of T2DM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Yu Chang
- Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Xuejin Li
- Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
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Toninato R, Fadda G, Susin FM. A Red Blood Cell Model to Estimate the Hemolysis Fingerprint of Cardiovascular Devices. Artif Organs 2017; 42:58-67. [DOI: 10.1111/aor.12937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Revised: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Toninato
- Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics Laboratory HER, Department of Civil; Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua; Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fadda
- Research and Education Center for Physics of Open Non-Equilibrium Systems, Samara National Research University; Samara, Russia
| | - Francesca Maria Susin
- Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics Laboratory HER, Department of Civil; Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua; Italy
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Qiang Y, Liu J, Du E. Dynamic fatigue measurement of human erythrocytes using dielectrophoresis. Acta Biomater 2017; 57:352-362. [PMID: 28526627 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.05.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Erythrocytes must undergo severe deformation to pass through narrow capillaries and submicronic splenic slits for several hundred thousand times in their normal lifespan. Studies of erythrocyte biomechanics have been mainly focused on cell deformability and rheology measured from a single application of stress and mostly under a static or quasi-static state using classical biomechanical techniques, such as optical tweezers and micropipette aspiration. Dynamic behavior of erythrocytes in response to cyclic stresses that contributes to the membrane failure in blood circulation is not fully understood. This paper presents a new experimental method for dynamic fatigue analysis of erythrocytes, using amplitude modulated electrokinetic force field in a microfluidic platform. We demonstrate the capability of this new technique using a low cycle fatigue analysis of normal human erythrocytes and ATP-depleted erythrocytes. Cyclic tensile stresses are generated to induce repeated uniaxial stretching and extensional recovery of single erythrocytes. Results of morphological and biomechanical parameters of individually tracked erythrocytes show strong correlations with the number of the loading cycles. Under a same strength of electric field, after 180 stress cycles, for normal erythrocytes, maximum stretch ratio decreases from 3.80 to 2.86, characteristic time of cellular extensional recovery increases from 0.16s to 0.37s, membrane shear viscosity increases from 1.0(µN/m)s to 1.6(µN/m)s. Membrane deformation in a small number of erythrocytes becomes irreversible after large deformation for about 200 cyclic loads. ATP-depleted cells show similar trends in decreased deformation and increased characteristic time with the loading cycles. These results show proof of concept of the new microfluidics technique for dynamic fatigue analysis of human erythrocytes. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Red blood cells (RBCs) experience a tremendous number of deformation in blood circulation before losing their mechanical deformability and eventually being degraded in the reticuloendothelial system. Prior efforts in RBC biomechanics have mostly focused on a single-application of stress, or quasi-static loading through physical contact to deform cell membranes, thus with limited capabilities in probing cellular dynamic responses to cyclic stresses. We present a unique electrokinetic microfluidic system for the study of dynamic fatigue behavior of RBCs subjected to cyclic loads. Our work shows quantitatively how the cyclic stretching loads cause membrane mechanical degradation and irreversibly deformed cells. This new technique can be useful to identify biomechanical markers for prediction of the mechanical stability and residual lifespan of circulating RBCs.
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Microfluidic experimental setup for adhesion and recovery measurements of red blood cells in sickle cell disease. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2017; 71:80-84. [PMID: 28267661 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Current microfluidic assays, which aim at quantifying mechanical properties of sickle cell red blood cells (SS-RBCs), suffer from a number of drawbacks in functionalization and flow control. Specifically, physical adsorption functionalization techniques produce inconsistent functional surfaces, and common volumetric flow pumps cannot be used to adjust the flow inside microchannels with minimal delay. We have designed an experimental setup that alleviates these complications by implementing aspiration for microchannel assembly that enables the use of most functionalization techniques and a pressure controller that allows instant and precise changes in the microchannel flow. Utilizing this setup, we have quantified SS-RBC adhesion to the integrin αvβ3, a specific adhesion protein expressed on the endothelium, as well as measured the shear modulus and viscosity of the SS-RBC plasma membrane.
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Ito H, Murakami R, Sakuma S, Tsai CHD, Gutsmann T, Brandenburg K, Pöschl JMB, Arai F, Kaneko M, Tanaka M. Mechanical diagnosis of human erythrocytes by ultra-high speed manipulation unraveled critical time window for global cytoskeletal remodeling. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43134. [PMID: 28233788 PMCID: PMC5324053 DOI: 10.1038/srep43134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Large deformability of erythrocytes in microvasculature is a prerequisite to realize smooth circulation. We develop a novel tool for the three-step “Catch-Load-Launch” manipulation of a human erythrocyte based on an ultra-high speed position control by a microfluidic “robotic pump”. Quantification of the erythrocyte shape recovery as a function of loading time uncovered the critical time window for the transition between fast and slow recoveries. The comparison with erythrocytes under depletion of adenosine triphosphate revealed that the cytoskeletal remodeling over a whole cell occurs in 3 orders of magnitude longer timescale than the local dissociation-reassociation of a single spectrin node. Finally, we modeled septic conditions by incubating erythrocytes with endotoxin, and found that the exposure to endotoxin results in a significant delay in the characteristic transition time for cytoskeletal remodeling. The high speed manipulation of erythrocytes with a robotic pump technique allows for high throughput mechanical diagnosis of blood-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Ito
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 565-0871 Suita, Japan.,Department of Physics, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ryo Murakami
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 565-0871 Suita, Japan
| | - Shinya Sakuma
- Department of Micro-Nano Systems Engineering, Nagoya University, 464-8603 Nagoya, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Johannes M B Pöschl
- Department of Pediatrics, Clinic of Neonatology, University of Heidelberg, D69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Fumihito Arai
- Department of Micro-Nano Systems Engineering, Nagoya University, 464-8603 Nagoya, Japan
| | - Makoto Kaneko
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 565-0871 Suita, Japan
| | - Motomu Tanaka
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, D69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI iCeMS), Kyoto University, 606-8501 Kyoto, Japan
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From Single Microparticles to Microfluidic Emulsification: Fundamental Properties (Solubility, Density, Phase Separation) from Micropipette Manipulation of Solvent, Drug and Polymer Microspheres. Processes (Basel) 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/pr4040049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Hashemi Z, Rahnama M. Numerical simulation of transient dynamic behavior of healthy and hardened red blood cells in microcapillary flow. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2016; 32:e02763. [PMID: 26729644 DOI: 10.1002/cnm.2763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 12/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In a number of human diseases such as diabetes mellitus and sickle cell anemia, variations in mechanical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) occur and cause reduced deformability. Investigating the behavior of such abnormal, hardened RBCs in microcapillary flow is of prime importance because of their effects on oxygen transport process. In the present paper, dynamic response of a RBC to a microcapillary flow is numerically studied at steady and transient conditions, considering the effect of essential parameters including RBC deformability, its initial orientation, velocity, and flow pressure gradient. Simulations are performed using a three-dimensional hybrid method, combining lattice Boltzmann method for plasma flow, finite element method for RBC membrane analysis, and immersed boundary method for their interaction. Quantitative and qualitative validations with the experimental data for different RBC velocities verify the accuracy of applied numerical method. Apart from the initial orientation, RBC experiences a complex shape deformation in which the biconcave discoid shape changes to a parachute-like shape. While deformation index of RBC does not change considerably with RBC deformability at steady state condition, it plays an important role in its shape evolution under transient condition. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Hashemi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran. ,
| | - M Rahnama
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
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MD/DPD Multiscale Framework for Predicting Morphology and Stresses of Red Blood Cells in Health and Disease. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1005173. [PMID: 27792725 PMCID: PMC5085038 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Healthy red blood cells (RBCs) have remarkable deformability, squeezing through narrow capillaries as small as 3 microns in diameter without any damage. However, in many hematological disorders the spectrin network and lipid bilayer of diseased RBCs may be significantly altered, leading to impaired functionality including loss of deformability. We employ a two-component whole-cell multiscale model to quantify the biomechanical characteristics of the healthy and diseased RBCs, including Plasmodium falciparum-infected RBCs (Pf-RBCs) and defective RBCs in hereditary disorders, such as spherocytosis and elliptocytosis. In particular, we develop a two-step multiscale framework based on coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) and dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) to predict the static and dynamic responses of RBCs subject to tensile forcing, using experimental information only on the structural defects in the lipid bilayer, cytoskeleton, and their interaction. We first employ CGMD on a small RBC patch to compute the shear modulus, bending stiffness, and network parameters, which are subsequently used as input to a whole-cell DPD model to predict the RBC shape and corresponding stress field. For Pf-RBCs at trophozoite and schizont stages, the presence of cytoadherent knobs elevates the shear response in the lipid bilayer and stiffens the RBC membrane. For RBCs in spherocytosis and elliptocytosis, the bilayer-cytoskeleton interaction is weakened, resulting in substantial increase of the tensile stress in the lipid bilayer. Furthermore, we investigate the transient behavior of stretching deformation and shape relaxation of the normal and defective RBCs. Different from the normal RBCs possessing high elasticity, our simulations reveal that the defective RBCs respond irreversibly, i.e., they lose their ability to recover the normal biconcave shape in successive loading cycles of stretching and relaxation. Our findings provide fundamental insights into the microstructure and biomechanics of RBCs, and demonstrate that the two-step multiscale framework presented here can be used effectively for in silico studies of hematological disorders based on first principles and patient-specific experimental input at the protein level.
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Ye T, Phan-Thien N, Lim CT. Particle-based simulations of red blood cells—A review. J Biomech 2016; 49:2255-2266. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.11.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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49
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Yazdani A, Li X, Em Karniadakis G. Dynamic and rheological properties of soft biological cell suspensions. RHEOLOGICA ACTA 2016; 55:433-449. [PMID: 27540271 PMCID: PMC4987001 DOI: 10.1007/s00397-015-0869-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying dynamic and rheological properties of suspensions of soft biological particles such as vesicles, capsules, and red blood cells (RBCs) is fundamentally important in computational biology and biomedical engineering. In this review, recent studies on dynamic and rheological behavior of soft biological cell suspensions by computer simulations are presented, considering both unbounded and confined shear flow. Furthermore, the hemodynamic and hemorheological characteristics of RBCs in diseases such as malaria and sickle cell anemia are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Yazdani
- Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Xuejin Li
- Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - George Em Karniadakis
- Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
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50
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Transient behavior and relaxation of microcapsules with a cross-linked human serum albumin membrane. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2016; 58:2-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2015.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2015] [Revised: 09/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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