Numerical Investigation of the Dynamical Behavior of a Fluid-Filled Microparticle Suspended in Human Arteriole

Abstract

The study of artificial microparticules (capsules and vesicles) has gained a growing interest with the emergence of bioengineering. One of their promoting applications is their use as therapeutic vectors for drug delivery, when capsules and vesicles release their capacity in a targeted environment. The dynamic behavior of capsules and vesicles in confined or unbounded flows was widely studied in the literature and their mechanical response was truthfully described using constitutive laws with good agreement with experiences. However, in a context of biological application, to our knowledge, none of published studies investigating the mechanical response of deformable microparticle took into account the real physiological conditions: the rheological properties of blood such as carrying fluid and the mechanical properties of blood vessels. In this paper, we considered a hyperelastic microparticle suspended in human arteriole. We investigate the deformation of the microparticle resulting from its interaction with blood flow and the arterial wall using various capillary numbers and respecting physiological properties of blood and arterial wall. The influence of the blood viscosity model (Newtonian vs shear-thinning) is investigated and a comparison with a rigid microchannel is carried out. The fluid structure interaction (FSI) problem is solved using Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method.

Flow‐induced shear stress and deformation of a core–shell‐structured microcapsule in a microchannel

“…Transitions between different capsule motion patterns were observed and the lateral equilibrium positions of the capsules regarding different conditions were investigated. El Jirari et al [43] numerically investigated the deformation of the microparticle resulting from its interaction with blood flow and the arteriolar wall using various capillary numbers and respecting physiological properties of blood and arterial wall. It was found that the arteriolar wall distensibility deeply influences both the deformation and velocity of the microparticle.…”

Effect of Arteriolar Distensibility on the Lateral Migration of Liquid-Filled Microparticles Flowing in a Human Arteriole

“…Authors had shown that the elastic capillary wall exerts a normal force compensating the lift force acting on the studied RBC model, guaranteeing equilibrium of the mechanical system. More recently in 27 , authors had studied the effect of the arterial wall distensibility on deformation and velocity of a single microparticle, without any consideration of lateral migration. To our knowledge, apart from the two aforementioned studies none of published papers involve the contribution of vascular wall, let alone the influence of its complex mechanical behavior on lateral migration of microparticles.…”