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Dynamic Deformation and Recovery Response of Red Blood Cells to a Cyclically Reversing Shear Flow: Effects of Frequency of Cyclically Reversing Shear Flow and Shear Stress Level

Nobuo Watanabe ^*, Hiroyuki Kataoka ^*, Toshitaka Yasuda  and Setsuo Takatani ^*

^* Department of Artificial Organs, Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan; and Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to Prof. Setsuo Takatani, Dept. of Artificial Organs, Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 2-3-10 Surugadai, Kana, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 101-0062. Tel.: 81-3-5280-8168; Fax: 81-3-5280-8168; E-mail: takatani.ao{at}tmd.ac.jp.

Dynamic deformation and recovery responses of red blood cells (RBCs) to a cyclically reversing shear flow generated in a 30-µm clearance, with the peak shear stress of 53, 108, 161, and 274 Pa at the frequency of 1, 2, 3, and 5 Hz, respectively, were studied. The RBCs' time-varying velocity varied after the glass plate velocity without any time lag, whereas the L/W change, where L and W were the major and minor axes of RBCs' ellipsoidal shape, exhibited a rapid increase and gradual decay during the deformation and recovery phase. The time of minimum L/W occurrence lagged behind the zero-velocity time of the glass plate (zero stress), and the delay time normalized to the one-cycle duration remained constant at 8.0%. The elongation of RBCs at zero stress time became larger with the reversing frequency. A simple mechanical model consisting of an elastic linear element during a rapid elongation period and a parallel combination of elements such as a spring and dashpot during the nonlinear recovery phase was suggested. The dynamic response behavior of RBCs under a cyclically reversing shear flow was different from the conventional shape change where a steplike force was applied to and completely released from the RBCs.