Rheology of thrombotic processes in flow: The interaction of erythrocytes and thrombocytes subjected to high flow forces¹

Issue title: Perspectives in Biorheology. Festschrift for A.L. Copley

Guest editors: Alexander Silberberg

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Schmid-Schönbein, H.^{a; b; c; *} | Born, G.V.R.^{a; b; c; **} | Richardson, P.D.^{a; b; c; ***} | Cusack, N.^{a; b; c} | Rieger, H.^{a; b; c} | Forst, R.^{a; b; c} | Rohling-Winkel, I.^{a; b; c} | Blasberg, P.^{a; b; c; ****} | Wehmeyer, A.^{a; b; c}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Physiology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, W. Germany | [b] Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Great Britain | [c] Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence Rhode Island, U.S.A.

Note: [1] Presented in part as an Invited Lecture to the 3rd International Congress of Biorheology, La Jolla/Cal. 1978.

Note: [*] Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: SFB 109, C2.

Note: [**] Supported by Thyssen-Foundation, Cologne/Germany.

Note: [***] Recipient of a “Senior U.S. Scientist Award” of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation (Bonn-Bad Godesberg) during the execution of the experiments.

Note: [****] Supported by Thyssen-Foundation, Cologne/Germany.

Note: [] Invited by: Editor A. Silberberg

Abstract: Abnormally high shear stresses (Tw > 50–200 Pal are known to occur under exceptional conditions in vivo (e.g. during the formation of a hemostatic plug in a rapidly perfused artery after it has been cut). Likewise, blood flow over a stenosis and blood flow through many artificial organs produces shear stresses in the same order of magnitude. Shear stresses above 50 Pa are known to damage red cells and platelets. It is hypothesized that such “damage” of the blood cells provides a physiological stimulus which triggers key events of platelet activation (directly and indirectly via release of ADP from ruptured red blood cells) and of the coagulation enzymes (via the demasking of procoagulatory phospholipids). Experiments are described in which the occurrence of the postulated biochemical events is documented under conditions of high shear tube flow. The concept of shear activation of platelets is incorporated in a combined biochemical-hemorheological theory of high shear thrombotic events such as they occur in arteries. In this theory, the process of thrombosis in high flow is considered to be initiated (on the afferent limb) by abnormally high shear stresses, but manifests itself subsequent to autokatalytic augmentation as the formation of white thrombi and deposits onto a wall (efferent limb).

Keywords: Hemorheology, Thrombosis, Blood flow, High flow, Forces, Erythrocytes, Platelets

DOI: 10.3233/BIR-1981-183-609

Journal: Biorheology, vol. 18, no. 3-6, pp. 415-444, 1981