Swinging of Red Blood Cells under Shear Flow

Swinging of red blood cells under shear flow.

We reveal that under moderate shear stress (etagamma[over ] approximately 0.1 Pa) red blood cells present an oscillation of their inclination (swinging) superimposed to the long-observed steady tank treading (TT) motion. A model based on a fluid ellipsoid surrounded by a viscoelastic membrane initially unstrained (shape memory) predicts all observed features of the motion: an increase of both s...

Dynamic modes of red blood cells in oscillatory shear flow.

The dynamics of red blood cells (RBCs) in oscillatory shear flow was studied using differential equations of three variables: a shape parameter, the inclination angle θ, and phase angle ϕ of the membrane rotation. In steady shear flow, three types of dynamics occur depending on the shear rate and viscosity ratio. (i) tank-treading (TT): ϕ rotates while the shape and θ oscillate. (ii) tumbling (...

vesicles and red blood cells in shear flow

Full dynamics of a red blood cell in shear flow.

At the cellular scale, blood fluidity and mass transport depend on the dynamics of red blood cells in blood flow, specifically on their deformation and orientation. These dynamics are governed by cellular rheological properties, such as internal viscosity and cytoskeleton elasticity. In diseases in which cell rheology is altered genetically or by parasitic invasion or by changes in the microenv...

Tension of red blood cell membrane in simple shear flow.

When a red blood cell (RBC) is subjected to an external flow, it is deformed by the hydrodynamic forces acting on its membrane. The resulting elastic tensions in the membrane play a key role in mechanotransduction and govern its rupture in the case of hemolysis. In this study, we analyze the motion and deformation of an RBC in a simple shear flow and the resulting elastic tensions on the membra...