Laura Campo-Deaño

Viscoelasticity of blood and viscoelastic blood analogues for use in polydymethylsiloxane in vitro models of the circulatory system

The non-Newtonian properties of blood are of great importance since they are closely related with incident cardiovascular diseases. A good understanding of the hemodynamics through the main vessels of the human circulatory system is thus fundamental in the detection and especially in the treatment of these diseases. Very often such studies take place in vitro for convenience and better flow control and these generally require blood analogue solutions that not only adequately mimic the viscoelastic properties of blood but also minimize undesirable optical distortions arising from vessel curvature that could interfere in flow visualizations or particle image velocimetry measurements. In this work, we present the viscoelastic moduli of whole human blood obtained by means of passive microrheology experiments. These results and existing shear and extensional rheological data for whole human blood in the literature enabled us to develop solutions with rheological behavior analogous to real whole blood and with a refractive index suited for PDMS (polydymethylsiloxane) micro- and milli-channels. In addition, these blood analogues can be modified in order to obtain a larger range of refractive indices from 1.38 to 1.43 to match the refractive index of several materials other than PDMS.

A Review of Computational Hemodynamics in Middle Cerebral Aneurysms and Rheological Models for Blood Flow

Cerebrovascular accidents are the third most common cause of death in developed countries. Over recent years, Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations using medical image-based anatomical vascular geometries have been shown to have great potential as a tool for diagnostic and treatment of brain aneurysms, in particular to help advise on the best treatment options. This work aims to present a state of the art review of the different models used in Computational Fluid Dynamics, focusing in particular on modelling blood as a viscoelastic non-Newtonian fluid in order to help understand the role of the complex rheological nature of blood upon the dynamics of middle cerebral aneurysms. Moreover, since the mechanical properties of the vessel walls also play an important role in the cardiovascular system, different models for the arterial structure are reviewed in order to couple Computational Fluid Dynamics and Computational Solid Dynamics to allow the study of the fluid-structure interaction.

Nanogel formation of polymer solutions flowing through porous media

A gelation process was seen to occur when Boger fluids made from aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide (PAA) and NaCl flowed through porous media with certain characteristics. As these viscoelastic fluids flow through a porous medium, the pressure drop across the bed varies linearly with the flow rate, as also happens with Newtonian fluids. Above a critical flow rate, elastic effects set in and the pressure drop grows above the low-flow-rate linear regime. Increasing further the flow rate, a more dramatic increase in the slope of the pressure drop curve can be observed as a consequence of nanogel formation. In this work, we discuss the reasons for this gelation process based on our measurements using porous media of different sizes, porosity and chemical composition. Additionally, the rheological properties of the fluids were investigated for shear and extensional flows. The fluids were also tested as they flowed through different microfluidic analogues of the porous media. The results indicate that the nanogel inception occurs with the adsorption of PAA molecules on the surface of the porous media particles that contain silica on their surfaces. Subsequently, if the interparticle space is small enough a jamming process occurs leading to flow-induced gel formation.

Particulate Blood Analogues Reproducing the Erythrocytes Cell Free Layer in a Microfluidic Device Containing a Hyperbolic Contraction

The interest in the development of blood analogues has been increasing recently as a consequence of the increment in the number of experimental hemodynamic studies and the difficulties associated with the manipulation of real blood in vitro because of ethical, economical or hazardous issues. Although one-phase Newtonian and non-Newtonian blood analogues can be found in the literature, there are very few studies related to the use of particulate solutions in which the particles mimic the behaviour of the red blood cells (RBCs) or erythrocytes. One of the most relevant effects related with the behaviour of the erythrocytes is a cell-free layer (CFL) formation, which consists in the migration of the RBCs towards the center of the vessel forming a cell depleted plasma region near the vessel walls, which is known to happen in in vitro microcirculatory environments. Recent studies have shown that the CFL enhancement is possible with an insertion of contraction and expansion region in a straight microchannel. These effects are useful for cell manipulation or sorting in lab-on-chip studies. In this experimental study we present particulate Newtonian and non-Newtonian solutions which resulted in a rheological blood analogue able to form a CFL, downstream of a microfluidic hyperbolic contraction, in a similar way of the one formed by healthy RBCs.

In vitro particulate analogue fluids for experimental studies of rheological and hemorheological behavior of glucose-rich RBC suspensions

Suspensions of healthy and pathological red blood cells (RBC) flowing in microfluidic devices are frequently used to perform in vitro blood experiments for a better understanding of human microcirculation hemodynamic phenomena. This work reports the development of particulate viscoelastic analogue fluids able to mimic the rheological and hemorheological behavior of pathological RBC suspensions flowing in microfluidic systems. The pathological RBCs were obtained by an incubation of healthy RBCs at a high concentration of glucose, representing the pathological stage of hyperglycaemia in diabetic complications, and analyses of their deformability and aggregation were carried out. Overall, the developed in vitro analogue fluids were composed of a suspension of semi-rigid microbeads in a carrier viscoelastic fluid made of dextran 40 and xanthan gum. All suspensions of healthy and pathological RBCs, as well as their particulate analogue fluids, were extensively characterized in steady shear flow, as well as in small and large amplitude oscillatory shear flow. In addition, the well-known cell-free layer (CFL) phenomenon occurring in microchannels was investigated in detail to provide comparisons between healthy and pathological in vitro RBC suspensions and their corresponding analogue fluids at different volume concentrations (5% and 20%). The experimental results have shown a similar rheological behavior between the samples containing a suspension of pathological RBCs and the proposed analogue fluids. Moreover, this work shows that the particulate in vitro analogue fluids used have the ability to mimic well the CFL phenomenon occurring downstream of a microchannel contraction for pathological RBC suspensions. The proposed particulate fluids provide a more realistic behavior of the flow properties of suspended RBCs when compared with existing non-particulate blood analogues, and consequently, they are advantageous for detailed investigations of microcirculation.

Fluid-Flow Characterization in Microfluidics

The number of scientific studies related with microfluidics techniques have been increasing in the last decade due to the great advantages they provide in the characterization of complex fluid flows. Obtaining precise and accurate results, especially in the experimental field, is of great importance. However, this is not always an easy task. In this chapter we analyze fundamental aspects related to the experimental techniques in microfluidics, providing also some useful tips to assist anyone who decides to start in this exciting “micro world”. A brief introduction about the potentialities of microfluidics will be presented. Additionally, a small review of the most common experimental techniques and their advantages and disadvantages are also assessed. Finally, an overview of the most common errors/difficulties of these experimental techniques in the lab is introduced.

Effect of Frozen Storage on the Gel‐Forming Ability of Surimi Treated by Acid and Alkaline Solubilization

Rheological changes during five months of frozen storage of horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) surimi elaborated by acid (Type A) and alkali (Type B) treatment, and their ability to form gels were evaluated. Frozen storage provoked a sligthly increase of rigidity and toughness in surimi B due to the loss of water holding capacity. This effect on surimi B disrupts the gel forming ability of muscle proteins, and the resulting gel experiments an increase of viscoelastic moduli, maximum stress and gel strength, showing a more increment in the network firmness after five months of frozen storage, however it is still better gel than that from method A.

Alkali and Acid Solubilization Effects on Rheological Properties of Horse Mackerel Muscle Proteins

Influence of the acid (Type A) and alkali (Type B) solubilization of muscle proteins in the viscoelastic properties of surimi and surimi gels made from horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) muscle were evaluated. Stress and frequency sweep tests showed that surimi from method B presents higher viscoelastic moduli, lowest values of phase angle and minimum viscoelastic moduli dependence with frequency than surimi A. These results show a high inicial protein aggregation in surimi B, that could explain the greater firmness and hardness of this sample, showing a more compact network structure. From static and dynamic tests, gel developed from alkali solubilization resulted in higher gel strength and more rigid network than that from acidic pH, despite the incial protein aggregation of surimi B its protein keeps better gelation capacity. The less structural quality of GA gel is likely due to the more lipid content on the surimi as compared to alkali treatment.