Predicting red blood cell response to mechanical loads
Predicting red blood cell response to mechanical loads lead image
Shape deformation and recovery is a key property of red blood cells (RBCs), enabling them to traverse microcapillaries as small as 4 microns in diameter. Their biconcave shape permits dynamic motion, adopting different shapes depending on the flow conditions.
Wu et al. simulate the elastic deformation and relaxation of RBCs under tensile and shear stress, mimicking capillary circulation. The researchers said shear stress has a greater impact on relaxation time, which is further increased when the RBC is transported through confined tubes.
“The shape deformation and recovery response of RBCs differ from cell to cell, depending on various physiological or pathological conditions,” said author Xuejin Li. “Our findings offer insight into how individual RBCs deform and recover in response to shear stress changes in blood circulation.”
The modeling demonstrates an effective computational method for single-cell investigation and points towards novel possibilities for the design and optimization of biomedical devices that measure cell viscoelasticity.
“The current computational framework could be used to predict the cyclic loading’s effects on the shape deformation and relaxation of RBCs in normal and pathological aging,” said Li. “This would help us understand the complex and clinically relevant mechanical behaviors of RBCs in health and disease.”
Understanding the dynamics and pathological changes of RBCs will matter for studying diseases like malaria and sickle cell disease, because they are driven by RBC membrane abnormalities and changes in mechanical properties.
“We hope to investigate the altered dynamic mechanical and viscoelastic behaviors of affected RBCs in pathological conditions using modeling to provide insight into the progressive damage of circulating RBCs,” said Li.
Source: “Quantitative prediction of elongation deformation and shape relaxation of a red blood cell under tensile and shear stresses,” by Chenbing Wu, Shuo Wang, Xiaojing Qi, Weiwei Yan, and Xuejin Li. Physics of Fluids (2021). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0071441 .
