Laser-assisted Microfluidic Analysis of Red Blood Cell Biomechanics and the Effect of Endothelial Monolayer in the Channel
Andrei E. Lugovtsob1, Matvey K. Maksimov1, Danila A. Umerenkov1, Alexey N. Semenov2, Olga N. Scheglovitova3 and Alexander V. Priezzhev1; 1M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; 2University of Science and Technology MISIS, Moscow, Russia; 3N.F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russia
Abstract
The dynamics of blood flow heavily depend on plasma composition characteristics, erythrocyte biomechanics properties and how erythrocytes group together, aggregate or engage with blood vessel walls. Rather than merely serving as a passive barrier, the endothelial layer actively modulates vascular circulation and cellular behavior by releasing gaseous mediators like nitric oxide (NO). Because the interaction of red blood cells influenced microcirculation, the goal of this study was to quantify the adhesive forces between individual erythrocytes and endothelial surfaces across different NO concentrations as well as to demonstrate laser-optical microfluidic techniques applicability for quantifying the cells biomechanics and aggregation. To investigate these phenomena, we employed optical methods. First, laser aggregometry assessed erythrocyte aggregation within microchannels by monitoring light scattering during fluid flow. This approach identifies the critical shear stress—a metric defining the mechanical stability of cell aggregates exactly when their formation and separation reach a dynamic balance. Second, non-invasive optical tweezers precisely gauged the microscopic adhesive pull between single blood cells and cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. To manipulate cellular NO synthesis, these laboratory-grown vascular linings were treated with L-arginine doses spanning from zero to 1000 μM. Findings revealed that the mere presence of an endothelial lining inherently weakens erythrocyte aggregation in both healthy and hypertensive blood samples. Furthermore, stimulating the endothelium with L-arginine initially diminished cellular adhesion up to a 100 μM concentration, whereas higher doses unexpectedly reversed this trend, amplifying cellular binding. Ultimately, integrating optical trapping with aggregometry offers a robust approach to unraveling how the vascular lining governs essential microcirculatory mechanics. This research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation Grant No. 25-15-00172.
Speaker
Andrei E. Lugovtsov
M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russia
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