A new apparatus for measuring the thread-forming property (spinability) of biological fluids

Spinability is a rheological parameter which characterizes the property of fluids to be drawn into threads when stretched. It has been shown that this property is of particular importance in the mucus transport process. This paper describes an automatic apparatus which measures the spinability of a calibrated volume (20 microliters) of sample at a stretching rate of 10 mm.sec.-1. The reproducibility of the measurements is analyzed on mucus simulants and on different types of bronchial mucus. Using this technique, we observed that the spinability of bronchial secretions is significantly correlated (r = 0.69, p less than 0.001) with their transport rate measured on the depleted frog palate. This device is suitable for measuring the spinability of all conductive types of mucus and other biological fluids.