Numerical Simulation of Flow of a Neutrophil through a Rectangular MicroChannel (Effect of Cross-section size of the Channel on the Transit Time)

摘要

Transit characteristics of neutrophils through narrow capillaries is the fundamental knowledge for the understanding of the behavior of the cells in immune system in lungs. Authors have developed a simple mathematical model to predict the transit time of the cell through a capillary segment considering the cell as a visco-elastic sphere and the segment as an axisymmetric moderate constriction in a straight pipe. However, the real capillaries do not have the perfect circle cross section, and thus, the cell has to deform three dimensionally in passing through it. In this paper, the capillary is considered to be a moderate constriction in a rectangular channel, and flow of the cell through the constriction is numerically investigated in terms of the transit time for some combinations of the minimum width of the constriction and height of the channel. The transit time is compared with the axisymmetric model to show the effect of cross section of the channel on the transit time.