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Controlled Microfluidic Environment for Dynamic Investigation of Red Blood Cell Aggregation
Published on: June 4, 2015
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Circulating cell clusters aggravate the hemorheological abnormalities in COVID-19
Elahe Javadi1, He Li2, Ander Dorken Gallastegi3
1Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Biophysical Journal
|August 27, 2022
Summary
Computational models reveal how red blood cell and white blood cell clusters increase blood viscosity in COVID-19 patients, impacting disease progression and explaining clinical observations of clotting events.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Computational Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Microthrombi and circulating cell clusters are common in COVID-19, potentially driving disease progression.
- Previous studies noted these clusters in COVID-19 blood samples, prompting further investigation into their rheological impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To computationally simulate the dynamics of white blood cell (WBC), platelet, and red blood cell clusters in COVID-19 blood.
- To quantify the impact of these clusters on blood viscosity and local hemorheology under varying shear flows.
Main Methods:
- Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations were employed to model circulating cell clusters.
- Simulations analyzed cluster dynamics across a range of shear flow conditions.
Main Results:
- Increased fibrinogen in COVID-19 promotes red blood cell clustering, elevating blood viscosity, similar to sickle cell disease and type 2 diabetes.
- White blood cell (WBC) clusters significantly increase local blood viscosity, with larger clusters causing greater elevation.
- Platelet clusters have a negligible impact on local rheology due to their small size.
Conclusions:
- WBC cluster size correlates with elevated blood viscosity and explains their association with thrombotic events in COVID-19.
- The distinct rheological impacts of WBC and platelet clusters align with clinical findings.
- Computational models offer a powerful method for investigating COVID-19 hemorheological alterations and their clinical links.
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