Variations in mass transfer to single endothelial cells

Mass transfer between flowing blood and arterial mural cells (including vascular endothelial cells) may play an important role in atherogenesis. Endothelial cells are known to have an apical surface topography that is not flat, and hence mass transfer patterns to individual endothelial cells are likely affected by the local cellular topography. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between vascular endothelial cell surface topography and cellular level mass transfer. Confluent porcine endothelial monolayers were cultured under both shear and static conditions and atomic force microscopy was used to measure endothelial cell topography. Using finite element methods and the measured cell topography, flow and concentration fields were calculated for a typical, small, blood-borne solute. A relative Sherwood number was defined as the difference between the computed Sherwood number and that predicted by the Leveque solution for mass transfer over a flat surface: this eliminates the effects of axial location on mass transfer efficiency. The average intracellular relative Sherwood number range was found to be dependent on cell height and not dependent on cell elongation due to shear stress in culture. The mass flux to individual cells reached a maximum at the highest point on the endothelial cell surface, typically corresponding to the nucleus of the cell. Therefore, for small receptor-mediated solutes, increased solute uptake efficiency can be achieved by concentrating receptors near the nucleus. The main conclusion of the work is that although the rate of mass transfer varies greatly over an individual cell, the average mass transfer rate to a cell is close to that predicted for a flat cell. In comparison to other hemodynamic factors, the topography of endothelial cells therefore seems to have little effect on mass transfer rates and is likely physiologically insignificant.