Jennifer Gunderson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill


Flow in Models of the Endothelial Surface Layer


Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate fluid flow in physical models of the endothelial surface layer. The endothelial surface layer covers the luminal side of the endothelial cells and protrudes into the blood flow. This layer consists of the glycocalyx (proteoglycans, glycoproteins and glycolipids) and attached plasma proteins. Changes in the shear stress imposed by the blood flow are sensed by the cell and these have been proposed to be important to trigger biochemical cascades within the cell. To understand the effect of varying morphology of the endothelial surface layer on the flow field, dynamically scaled physical models were used in this study. These models consist of rows of rigid two-dimensional cylinders with varying height, cylinder array length and number density. Quantitative measurements over a range of Reynolds numbers are obtained using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Based on this data, we are able to obtain a better understanding of how fluid flow might alter flow patterns and the resulting shear stress and pressure gradients.

Collaborators: Arvind Santhanakrishnan, and Laura Miller (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)