Biophysical Journal 45: 1179-1184 (1984)
© 1984 the Biophysical Society

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Estimation of viscous dissipation inside an erythrocyte during aspirational entry into a micropipette.

ABSTRACT

Viscous dissipation inside the erythrocyte during its aspirational entry into a micropipette is analyzed. The motion of the intracellular fluid is approximated by a flow into the micropipette orifice from a half space (the portion of the erythrocyte outside the micropipette). The stream function and intracellular pressure (p) in the half space are obtained as a function of radial and axial positions near the orifice. Solution of the boundary value problem for a uniform stream entering a circular hole gives p = 2 eta HQ/pi R3p, where eta H is the intracellular viscosity, Q is the total discharge, and Rp is the pipette radius. The results indicate that the moving erythrocyte membrane helps to drive the intracellular fluid into the orifice. For normal erythrocytes, p is only approximately 0.5% of the total aspiration pressure (delta P). The contribution of p to delta P, however, may become significant when there is a large increase in eta H due to a markedly elevated intracellular hemoglobin concentration or an alteration of the physical state of hemoglobin.