Survival of P. falciparum infected red blood cell aggregates in elongational shear flow

Lab Chip. 2024 Feb 13;24(4):787-797. doi: 10.1039/d3lc00552f.

Abstract

Rosetting, the formation of red blood cell aggregates, is a life-threatening condition in malaria tropica and not yet fully understood. We study rosette stability using a set of microfluidic stenotic channels, with varied narrowing angle and erythrocytes of blood groups O and A. We find reduced ability of a rosette to pass a stenosis without disruption, the longer the tapered part of the constriction and the narrower the stenosis is. In general, this ability increases with rosette size and is 5-15% higher in blood group A. The experimental results are substantiated by equivalent experiments using lectin-induced red blood cell aggregates and a simulation of the underlying protein binding kinetics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Constriction, Pathologic
  • Erythrocytes
  • Humans
  • Malaria, Falciparum*
  • Plasmodium falciparum*
  • Protein Binding