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

The pulmonary capillary networks (PCNs) embody organ-specific microvasculatures, where blood vessels form dense meshes that maximize the surface area available for gas exchange in the lungs. With characteristic capillary lengths and diameters similar to the size of red blood cells (RBCs), seminal de...

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Autores principales: Stauber, Hagit, Waisman, Dan, Korin, Netanel, Sznitman, Josué
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: AIP Publishing LLC 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5234697/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28090238
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4973930
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author Stauber, Hagit
Waisman, Dan
Korin, Netanel
Sznitman, Josué
author_facet Stauber, Hagit
Waisman, Dan
Korin, Netanel
Sznitman, Josué
author_sort Stauber, Hagit
collection PubMed
description The pulmonary capillary networks (PCNs) embody organ-specific microvasculatures, where blood vessels form dense meshes that maximize the surface area available for gas exchange in the lungs. With characteristic capillary lengths and diameters similar to the size of red blood cells (RBCs), seminal descriptions coined the term "sheet flow" nearly half a century ago to differentiate PCNs from the usual notion of Poiseuille flow in long straight tubes. Here, we revisit in true-scale experiments the original “sheet flow” model and devise for the first time biomimetic microfluidic platforms of organ-specific PCN structures perfused with RBC suspensions at near-physiological hematocrit levels. By implementing RBC tracking velocimetry, our measurements reveal a wide range of heterogonous RBC pathways that coexist synchronously within the PCN; a phenomenon that persists across the broad range of pressure drops and capillary segment sizes investigated. Interestingly, in spite of the intrinsic complexity of the PCN structure and the heterogeneity in RBC dynamics observed at the microscale, the macroscale bulk flow rate versus pressure drop relationship retains its linearity, where the hydrodynamic resistance of the PCN is to a first order captured by the characteristic capillary segment size. To the best of our knowledge, our in vitro efforts constitute a first, yet significant, step in exploring systematically the transport dynamics of blood in morphologically inspired capillary networks.
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spelling pubmed-52346972017-01-13 Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries Stauber, Hagit Waisman, Dan Korin, Netanel Sznitman, Josué Biomicrofluidics Regular Articles The pulmonary capillary networks (PCNs) embody organ-specific microvasculatures, where blood vessels form dense meshes that maximize the surface area available for gas exchange in the lungs. With characteristic capillary lengths and diameters similar to the size of red blood cells (RBCs), seminal descriptions coined the term "sheet flow" nearly half a century ago to differentiate PCNs from the usual notion of Poiseuille flow in long straight tubes. Here, we revisit in true-scale experiments the original “sheet flow” model and devise for the first time biomimetic microfluidic platforms of organ-specific PCN structures perfused with RBC suspensions at near-physiological hematocrit levels. By implementing RBC tracking velocimetry, our measurements reveal a wide range of heterogonous RBC pathways that coexist synchronously within the PCN; a phenomenon that persists across the broad range of pressure drops and capillary segment sizes investigated. Interestingly, in spite of the intrinsic complexity of the PCN structure and the heterogeneity in RBC dynamics observed at the microscale, the macroscale bulk flow rate versus pressure drop relationship retains its linearity, where the hydrodynamic resistance of the PCN is to a first order captured by the characteristic capillary segment size. To the best of our knowledge, our in vitro efforts constitute a first, yet significant, step in exploring systematically the transport dynamics of blood in morphologically inspired capillary networks. AIP Publishing LLC 2017-01-10 /pmc/articles/PMC5234697/ /pubmed/28090238 http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4973930 Text en © 2017 Author(s). 1932-1058/2017/11(1)/014103/13 All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Regular Articles
Stauber, Hagit
Waisman, Dan
Korin, Netanel
Sznitman, Josué
Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries
title Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries
title_full Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries
title_fullStr Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries
title_full_unstemmed Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries
title_short Red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries
title_sort red blood cell dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic networks of pulmonary alveolar capillaries
topic Regular Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5234697/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28090238
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4973930
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