Assessment of coupled bilayer–cytoskeleton modelling strategy for red blood cell dynamics in flow

• DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2023.1092
• Publication Date: 2024-01-25T03:19:21Z
• Authors: V. Puthumana; P.G. Chen; M. Leonetti; R. Lasserre; M. Jaeger
• Keywords: Lipid bilayer mechanics

The red blood cell (RBC) membrane is composed of a lipid bilayer and cytoskeleton interconnected by protein junction complexes, allowing for potential sliding between the cytoskeleton. Despite this biological reality, it most often modelled as single-layer model, hyperelastic capsule or fluid vesicle. Another approach involves incorporating membrane's composite structure using double layers, where one layer represents other In paper, we computationally assess various modelling strategies analysing RBC behaviour in extensional flow four distinct regimes that simulate dynamics shear flow. proposed double-layer strategies, such vesicle–capsule capsule–capsule models, account fluidity surface incompressibility different ways. Our findings demonstrate introducing layers offers considerable degree freedom to alleviate its elastic stresses, resulting significant increase elongation. Surprisingly, our study reveals strategy RBCs holds greater importance than choice cytoskeleton's reference shape. These results highlight inadequacy considering mechanical properties alone emphasise need careful integration these properties. Furthermore, fortuitously uncover novel indicator determining appropriate stress-free shape