Measuring the red blood cell shape in capillary flow using spectrally encoded flow cytometry

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Microcirculation Research
• Cellular Mechanics

Background:

• Red blood cells (RBCs) undergo significant deformations within narrow capillaries.
• Understanding these deformations is crucial for assessing physiological conditions in vivo.
• Existing imaging techniques may not fully capture the dynamic nature of RBC flow in capillaries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To image and analyze red blood cell morphology during flow in human capillaries.
• To develop a computational model that replicates observed RBC deformations.
• To explore the utility of these findings for clinical parameter extraction.

Main Methods:

• Employed high-speed microscopy with spectrally encoded flow cytometry (SEFC).
• Acquired in vivo images of red blood cells flowing through human capillaries.
• Developed an analytical slipper-like model to simulate cell morphology.

Main Results:

• Successfully imaged dynamic red blood cell deformations in capillaries using SEFC.
• The proposed slipper-like model accurately reproduced the experimental in vivo images.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of analyzing cell morphology in its physiological context.

Conclusions:

• SEFC is an effective technique for studying red blood cell behavior in microcirculation.
• The analytical model provides a valuable tool for understanding RBC mechanics in situ.
• This approach can potentially yield novel clinical parameters related to blood cell physiology.