| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
|
|---|
| Research Abstract |
This project is aimed to study the effects of white blood cells on the vascular resistance in microvessels, from a fluid-dynamical point of view. Firstly, animal experiments were performed using an intravital microscopy to observe the behavior of white blood cells in microvessels of the mesentery of rats, under various circumstances. We observed accumulation of red blood cells behind a white blood cell in capillaries, due to the lower velocity of the white blood cell compared to the red blood cells, plugging of white blood cells at the entrance of capillaries, and rolling and adherence of white blood cells onto the endothelium of venules. To evaluate the effect of white blood cells on the microvascular resistance, we numerically analyzed the blood flow around white blood cells in microvessels. It was shown that accumulation of red blood cells behind a white blood cell in capillaries elevates the resistance of the capillary to a significant degree, in agreement with the whole organ perfusion experiments. Adhesion of white blood cells to the endothelium of venules was found to increase the microvascular resistance, depending on the number of cells, and vessel diameter. The increase is more significant for smaller venules
|
