Affiliations: [a] Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, N.Y., 10027, U.S.A. | [b] Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University, New York, N.Y., 10027, U.S.A. | [c] Department of AMES-Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A.
Note: [] Accepted by: Editor H.L. Goldsmith
Abstract: Red blood cell (RBC) rouleaux were formed in a flow channel in the presence of 2 g/dl dextran (molecular weight 76,000). The partial separation of RBC rouleau doublets adhering to the floor of the flow channel in response to small oscillatory shear stresses was observed experimentally. Theoretical analyses on displacement and drag force were performed to determine whether the motion of the cell involves membrane rotation (i.e., rolling) or sliding. From the experimental data and the results of theoretical analyses, it is concluded that, under the conditions of the experiments, the RBCs in a doublet separate from each other by rolling, rather than sliding of the sheared cell.
