The Volume of Healthy Red Blood Cells is Optimal for Advective Oxygen Transport in Arterioles

This study explores, through high-fidelity numerical simulations, the impact of RBC volume on advectve oxygen transport efficiency through arterioles which form the area of greatest flow resistance in the circulatory system. The results show that, strikingly, RBCs with volumes similar to those found in vivo are most efficient to transport oxygen through arterioles. The flow resistance is related to the cell-free layer thickness, which is influenced by the shape and the motion of the RBCs: at low volumes RBCs deform and fold while at high volumes RBCs collide and follow more diffuse trajectories. In contrast, RBCs with a healthy volume maximize the cell-free layer thickness, resulting in a more efficient advectve transport of oxygen.PMID:38641875 | DOI:10.1016/j.bpj.2024.04.015

Source: Biophysical Journal - April 20, 2024 Category: Physics Authors: Lucas Amoudruz Athena Economides Petros Koumoutsakos Source Type: research