A mathematical model of fibrinogen-mediated erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion
Lopes, Catarina Sousa (Universidade de Lisboa. Instituto de Medicina Molecular)
Curty, Juliana (University of Coimbra. Department of Physics)
Carvalho, Filomena A. (Universidade de Lisboa. Instituto de Medicina Molecular)
Hernández-Machado, Aurora (Centre de Recerca Matemàtica)
Kinoshita, Koji (University of Southern Denmark. Department of Molecular Medicine)
Santos, Nuno C. (Universidade de Lisboa. Instituto de Medicina Molecular)
Travasso, Rui D. M. (University of Coimbra. Department of Physics)

Date:	2023
Abstract:	Erythrocytes are deformable cells that undergo progressive biophysical and biochemical changes affecting the normal blood flow. Fibrinogen, one of the most abundant plasma proteins, is a primary determinant for changes in haemorheological properties, and a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the adhesion between human erythrocytes is measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and its effect observed by micropipette aspiration technique, in the absence and presence of fibrinogen. These experimental data are then used in the development of a mathematical model to examine the biomedical relevant interaction between two erythrocytes. Our designed mathematical model is able to explore the erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion forces and changes in erythrocyte morphology. AFM erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion data show that the work and detachment force necessary to overcome the adhesion between two erythrocytes increase in the presence of fibrinogen. The changes in erythrocyte morphology, the strong cell-cell adhesion and the slow separation of the two cells are successfully followed in the mathematical simulation. Erythrocyte-erythrocyte adhesion forces and energies are quantified and matched with experimental data. The changes observed on erythrocyte-erythrocyte interactions may give important insights about the pathophysiological relevance of fibrinogen and erythrocyte aggregation in hindering microcirculatory blood flow.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2019-106063GB-100 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-1061
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Membrane biophysics ; Computational biophysics ; Peripheral vascular disease
Published in:	Communications Biology, Vol. 6 (February 2023) , art. 192, ISSN 2399-3642

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04560-4
PMID: 36801914

11 p, 4.1 MB

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