Lubrication analysis of a cell sliding into a circular pore

The resistance to the blood cells at the entrance to capillaries and membrane pores contributes considerably to the peripheral resistance in the blood circulation. This paper proposes, for the first time, a simplified mechanical model in an attempt to treat the axisymmetric motion of a cell sliding into a circular pore. In this model, the shape of the cell is taken as given according to the microvideograph and the cell membrane is assumed to slide over its surface. The lubrication theory is applied to the thin layers of plasma between the membrane and the pore wall, yielding the pressure and shear stress distributions over the membrane as well as the resultant drag exerted on the cell. Our computations have simulated the process of the cell entering the pore, which is in qualitative agreement with the microvideographic observations.The Project Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China.The authors wish to express their thanks to Professor S. Weinbaum of The City University of New York for his enlightening suggestions on the mechanical model of this problem during his visit to Peking University. The authors are also grateful to Professor Li Gui-shan of Institute of blood. The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, for providing the relevant microvideographes.