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A microfluidic-based arteriolar network model for biophysical and bioanalytical investigations

A microfluidic-based arteriolar network model for biophysical and bioanalytical investigations
A microfluidic-based arteriolar network model for biophysical and bioanalytical investigations
The microcirculation plays a key role in the delivery of essential substrates for oxidative processes in cells, the removal of products of cell metabolism, and the regulation of peripheral blood flow distribution. The functional properties of microvascular networks strongly depend on the rheological properties of blood and on the heterogeneity of their architecture. However, studying blood flow behaviour through in vivo microvascular systems is limited by ethical, economical and technical issues. Such limitations have opened the way to in vitro models, such as straight microcapillaries or network- like microchannel constructs, but current in vitro models present simplifications in the architecture design which result in the impossibility of faithfully reproducing key features of the in vivo microvascular haemodynamics. In the present study we report the development of a microfluidic-based in vitro model of the human arteriolar system, characterised by circular channel cross-section, network asymmetry and the presence of both bifurcation- and side-branches. The developed microdevice allows for the quantification of the velocity fields, cell-depletion layer thickness and haematocrit distribution within biomimetic microchannel networks. Results show the potential of our in vitro model in reproducing key features of blood flow behaviour which have been detected for microvascular systems in vivo, including the relationships between cell-depletion layer thickness, haematocrit and vessel diameter. The developed microdevices can find extensive applications in biological and biophysical research, where the mimicking of flow dynamics at the microcirculatory level is required
1573-4110
47-59
Carugo, Dario
0a4be6cd-e309-4ed8-a620-20256ce01179
Capretto, Lorenzo
0f3586b5-1560-49c1-a76b-59e74ea600ef
Nehru, Eric
e3f514c1-41dc-44a0-97a3-ed7cf69ab9b9
Mansour, Mohamed
b12fb97a-7d50-4caa-aced-5a57202d67d0
Smyth, Neil
0eba2a40-3b43-4d40-bb64-621bd7e9d505
Bressloff, Neil
4f531e64-dbb3-41e3-a5d3-e6a5a7a77c92
Zhang, Xunli
d7cf1181-3276-4da1-9150-e212b333abb1
Carugo, Dario
0a4be6cd-e309-4ed8-a620-20256ce01179
Capretto, Lorenzo
0f3586b5-1560-49c1-a76b-59e74ea600ef
Nehru, Eric
e3f514c1-41dc-44a0-97a3-ed7cf69ab9b9
Mansour, Mohamed
b12fb97a-7d50-4caa-aced-5a57202d67d0
Smyth, Neil
0eba2a40-3b43-4d40-bb64-621bd7e9d505
Bressloff, Neil
4f531e64-dbb3-41e3-a5d3-e6a5a7a77c92
Zhang, Xunli
d7cf1181-3276-4da1-9150-e212b333abb1

Carugo, Dario, Capretto, Lorenzo, Nehru, Eric, Mansour, Mohamed, Smyth, Neil, Bressloff, Neil and Zhang, Xunli (2013) A microfluidic-based arteriolar network model for biophysical and bioanalytical investigations. Current Analytical Chemistry, 9 (1), 47-59. (doi:10.2174/157341113804486437).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The microcirculation plays a key role in the delivery of essential substrates for oxidative processes in cells, the removal of products of cell metabolism, and the regulation of peripheral blood flow distribution. The functional properties of microvascular networks strongly depend on the rheological properties of blood and on the heterogeneity of their architecture. However, studying blood flow behaviour through in vivo microvascular systems is limited by ethical, economical and technical issues. Such limitations have opened the way to in vitro models, such as straight microcapillaries or network- like microchannel constructs, but current in vitro models present simplifications in the architecture design which result in the impossibility of faithfully reproducing key features of the in vivo microvascular haemodynamics. In the present study we report the development of a microfluidic-based in vitro model of the human arteriolar system, characterised by circular channel cross-section, network asymmetry and the presence of both bifurcation- and side-branches. The developed microdevice allows for the quantification of the velocity fields, cell-depletion layer thickness and haematocrit distribution within biomimetic microchannel networks. Results show the potential of our in vitro model in reproducing key features of blood flow behaviour which have been detected for microvascular systems in vivo, including the relationships between cell-depletion layer thickness, haematocrit and vessel diameter. The developed microdevices can find extensive applications in biological and biophysical research, where the mimicking of flow dynamics at the microcirculatory level is required

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Published date: January 2013
Organisations: Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 346516
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/346516
ISSN: 1573-4110
PURE UUID: 1ac08f67-4475-47be-b02b-ea22fd93054e
ORCID for Xunli Zhang: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4375-1571

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Date deposited: 03 Jan 2013 14:44
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:28

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Contributors

Author: Dario Carugo
Author: Lorenzo Capretto
Author: Eric Nehru
Author: Mohamed Mansour
Author: Neil Smyth
Author: Neil Bressloff
Author: Xunli Zhang ORCID iD

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