Microparticle Transport and Sedimentation in a Rhythmically Expanding Alveolar Chip

Micromachines

Hongzhou Lu¹  Wei Zhang²  Yonggang Zhu²  Huimin Lv²  Weitao Bai²  Jun Dong²  Bernd R. Noack²  Yue Yang² 

[1] National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, The Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen 518112, China;School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China;

关键词: alveolar chip;    particle tracking;    microfluidics;    dynamical similarity;    particle deposition;   

DOI  :  10.3390/mi13030485

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Understanding the mechanism of particle transport and sedimentation in pulmonary alveolus is important for deciphering the causes of respiratory diseases and helping the development of drug delivery. In this study, taking advantage of the microfluidic technique, an experimental platform was developed to study particle behavior in a rhythmically expanding alveolar chip for a sufficient number of cycles. The alveolar flow patterns at different generations were measured for two cases with the gravity direction parallel or vertical to the alveolar duct. Affected by both the vortex flow inside the alveoli and the shear flow in the duct simultaneously, it was observed that particles inside the alveoli either escaped from the inlet of the alveolar duct or stayed in the alveoli, revealing the irreversibility of particle transport in the alveoli. At the earlier acinar generations, particles were inclined to deposit on the distal alveolar wall. The settling rates of particles of different sizes in the alveoli were also compared. This study provides valuable data for understanding particle transport and sedimentation in the alveoli.

【 授权许可】

Unknown