Three-dimensional modeling of flow through microvascular beds and surrounding interstitial spaces

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Biology
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Microvascular health is influenced by mechanical forces from fluid flow.
• Direct measurement of these forces is difficult; current models are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for engineered microvascular networks.
• To incorporate endothelial permeability and interstitial flow into CFD models.
• To investigate the impact of these factors on flow dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Reconstructed 3D computational models from confocal image stacks of engineered capillary networks.
• Incorporated vascular permeability and matrix porosity.
• Performed CFD simulations to analyze flow magnitude and profiles.

Main Results:

• Including endothelial cells and interstitial space significantly altered predicted intraluminal flow and interstitial flow profiles.
• Cytokine treatment increased permeability, decreasing intraluminal flow velocity and wall shear stress.
• Model accurately predicted experimental observations.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D CFD framework accurately models fluid flow in engineered microvascular networks.
• This approach enhances understanding of vascular physiology and pathology by accounting for endothelial and interstitial contributions.
• The model provides a robust methodology for studying flow dynamics in vitro.