Cluster of red blood cells in microcapillary flow: hydrodynamic versus macromolecule induced interaction

摘要

We present experiments on RBCs that flow through microcapillaries underphysiological conditions. We show that the RBC clusters form as a subtleimbrication between hydrodynamics interaction and adhesion forces because ofplasma proteins. Clusters form along the capillaries and macromolecule-inducedadhesion contribute to their stability. However, at high yet physiological flowvelocities, shear stresses overcome part of the adhesion forces, and clusterstabilization due to hydrodynamics becomes stronger. For the case of purehydrodynamic interaction, cell-to-cell distances have a pronounced bimodaldistribution. Our 2D-numerical simulations on vesicles captures the transitionbetween adhesive and non-adhesive clusters at different flow velocities.