An apparatus which has been developed to study the response of cultured endothelial cells to a wide range of shear stress levels is described. Controlled laminar flow through a rectangular tube was used to generate fluid shear stress over a cell-lined coverslip comprising part of one wall of the tube. A finite element method was used to calculate shear stresses corresponding to cell position on the coverslip. Validity of the finite element analysis was demonstrated first by its ability to generate correctly velocity profiles and wall shear stresses for laminar flow in the entrance region between infinitely wide parallel plates (two-dimensional flow). The computer analysis also correctly predicted values for pressure difference between two points in the test region of the apparatus for the range of flow rates used in these experiments. These predictions thus supported the use of such an analysis for three-dimensional flow. This apparatus has been used in a series of experiments to confirm its utility for testing applications. In these studies, endothelial cells were exposed to shear stresses of 60 and 128 dynes/cm2. After 12 hr at 60 dynes/cm2, cells became aligned with their longitudinal axes parallel to the direction of flow. In contrast, cells exposed to 128 dynes/cm2 required 36 hr to achieve a similar reorientation. Interestingly, after 6 hr at 128 dynes/cm2, specimens passed through an intermediate phase in which cells were aligned perpendicular to flow direction. Because of its ease and use and the provided documentation of wall shear stress, this flow chamber should prove to be a valuable tool in endothelial research related to atherosclerosis.
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November 1986
Research Papers
An Apparatus to Study the Response of Cultured Endothelium to Shear Stress
R. F. Viggers,
R. F. Viggers
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seattle University, Seattle, Wash. 98122; and Bob Hope International Heart Institute, Seattle, Wash. 98122
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A. R. Wechezak,
A. R. Wechezak
Bob Hope International Heart Institute, Seattle, Wash. 98122
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L. R. Sauvage
L. R. Sauvage
Bob Hope International Heart Institute, Seattle, Wash. 98122
Search for other works by this author on:
R. F. Viggers
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seattle University, Seattle, Wash. 98122; and Bob Hope International Heart Institute, Seattle, Wash. 98122
A. R. Wechezak
Bob Hope International Heart Institute, Seattle, Wash. 98122
L. R. Sauvage
Bob Hope International Heart Institute, Seattle, Wash. 98122
J Biomech Eng. Nov 1986, 108(4): 332-337 (6 pages)
Published Online: November 1, 1986
Article history
Received:
October 8, 1985
Revised:
July 21, 1986
Online:
June 12, 2009
Citation
Viggers, R. F., Wechezak, A. R., and Sauvage, L. R. (November 1, 1986). "An Apparatus to Study the Response of Cultured Endothelium to Shear Stress." ASME. J Biomech Eng. November 1986; 108(4): 332–337. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3138624
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