Atherosclerosis occurs when the arteries become narrow, obstructing blood flow. Such conditions change blood flow characteristics, such as increasing pressure and wall shear stress (WSS). In severe cases, blood flow could become turbulent after the stenosis, and recirculating flow might occur. The effect of such flow patterns is still unclear in biological systems. In this study, we designed an in vitro model to reproduce and study the phenomenon. We designed a 2 mm-diameter half-cylinder with 80% trapezium-shaped stenoses and fabricated a realistic microfluidic vessel using PDMS. The flow pattern was simulated using the Computational Fluid Dynamics code (Comsol Multiphysics 6.1). Different conditions, such as the stenosis length (2 and 4 mm), flow rate (1 ml/min to 3 ml/min), and fluid dynamic viscosity (~1 cP to 3.5 cP), were varied to generate the recirculating flow effect. To validate the simulation, we also performed the particle tracing experiment using the fluorescence beads with corresponding conditions. The results showed that the recirculating flow occurs at a minimum flow rate of 3 ml/min for 1 cP fluid. However, the flow pattern disappeared upon increasing the dynamic viscosity to 3.5 cP for most models. The particle tracing experiment also confirmed the phenomenon, as the results were identical. In addition, WSR analysis also indicated that whenever the recirculating flow occurs, the WWR in the region fluctuates significantly, indicating high turbulence and disturbance. In conclusion, we have pointed out suitable conditions for simulated turbulent flow in the vessel-on-chip model and validated the computational calculation. Thus, the result would be beneficial for studying the effect of turbulence flow on vascular components, such as endothelial cells or plasma proteins.

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In Vitro Microfluidic Vessels to Study the Effect of Post-stenosis Recirculating Flow on Cellular and Plasma Proteins Behavior

  • Dang Phu-Hai Nguyen,
  • Phuc Quang Le,
  • Thanh-Qua Nguyen,
  • Khon Huynh

摘要

Atherosclerosis occurs when the arteries become narrow, obstructing blood flow. Such conditions change blood flow characteristics, such as increasing pressure and wall shear stress (WSS). In severe cases, blood flow could become turbulent after the stenosis, and recirculating flow might occur. The effect of such flow patterns is still unclear in biological systems. In this study, we designed an in vitro model to reproduce and study the phenomenon. We designed a 2 mm-diameter half-cylinder with 80% trapezium-shaped stenoses and fabricated a realistic microfluidic vessel using PDMS. The flow pattern was simulated using the Computational Fluid Dynamics code (Comsol Multiphysics 6.1). Different conditions, such as the stenosis length (2 and 4 mm), flow rate (1 ml/min to 3 ml/min), and fluid dynamic viscosity (~1 cP to 3.5 cP), were varied to generate the recirculating flow effect. To validate the simulation, we also performed the particle tracing experiment using the fluorescence beads with corresponding conditions. The results showed that the recirculating flow occurs at a minimum flow rate of 3 ml/min for 1 cP fluid. However, the flow pattern disappeared upon increasing the dynamic viscosity to 3.5 cP for most models. The particle tracing experiment also confirmed the phenomenon, as the results were identical. In addition, WSR analysis also indicated that whenever the recirculating flow occurs, the WWR in the region fluctuates significantly, indicating high turbulence and disturbance. In conclusion, we have pointed out suitable conditions for simulated turbulent flow in the vessel-on-chip model and validated the computational calculation. Thus, the result would be beneficial for studying the effect of turbulence flow on vascular components, such as endothelial cells or plasma proteins.