Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 18, 2026
09:20
The Assembly and Application of 'Shear Rings': A Novel Endothelial Model for Orbital, Unidirectional and Periodic Fluid Flow and Shear Stress
Published on: October 31, 2016
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Shear-stress-induced swirling flow in biological systems
Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic1, Milan Milivojevic1, Peter V E McClintock2
1University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Department of Chemical Engineering, Belgrade, Serbia.
Bio Systems
|September 8, 2025
Summary
Swirling motion is crucial in biological systems, from cellular mixing to tissue development. This study identifies key physical factors like lift force and stress differences driving this essential phenomenon in diverse biological fluids and tissues.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Swirling motion is vital for cellular processes like molecular mixing, nutrient transport, and collective cell migration.
- Understanding the mechanisms driving swirling motion in biological contexts is an ongoing research area.
- This phenomenon is observed across diverse biological systems, including cellular and multicellular structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for swirling motion in various biological systems.
- To identify common characteristics shared by biological systems exhibiting swirling behavior.
- To integrate experimental data and modeling to explain the generation of swirling motion.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of experimental findings from existing literature.
- Integration of theoretical modeling considerations.
- Examination of diverse biological systems: synovial fluid, blood, mucus, cytoskeleton, and multicellular systems.
Main Results:
- Diverse biological systems, including fluids and multicellular structures, exhibit swirling behavior.
- Common characteristics include heterogeneous density/stress, viscoelasticity, anisotropy, and non-uniform flow.
- Lift force and normal stress differences, arising from shear stress, are identified as primary contributing factors.
Conclusions:
- Swirling motion is a conserved phenomenon across varied biological contexts.
- Shared physical properties facilitate swirling motion.
- Lift forces and normal stress differences are key drivers of swirling motion in biological systems.
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