Margination of Platelet-Sized Particles in the Red Blood Cell Suspension Flow through Square Microchannels

In the blood flow through microvessels, platelets show high concentrations near the vessel wall. This phenomenon is called margination of platelets and is closely associated with hemostasis and thrombosis. In the present study, we conducted in vitro experiments using platelet-sized fluorescent particles as platelet substitutes to investigate the cross-sectional distribution of these particles in the red blood cell suspension flowing through microchannels with a square cross section. Fluorescence observations were performed to measure the transverse distribution of particles at various heights from the bottom face with the use of a confocal laser scanning microscope system. In downstream cross sections of the channel, particles showed focusing near the four corners rather than uniform margination along the entire circumference of the cross section. The focusing of particles near the corners was more enhanced for higher hematocrits. On the other hand, particles in circular channel flows showed nearly axisymmetric uniform accumulation adjacent to the channel wall. The present result suggests that the segregation of suspended particles in the flow of multicomponent suspensions could have such heterogeneous 2D features of particle distribution in the cross section of channels, especially for rectangular channels often used in microfluidics.