Correlation of in vitro intimal-medial uptake with endothelial shear stress vector fields in an arterial organ support system

Porcine thoracoabdominal intimal surface patterns of transendothelial intimal-medial Evans blue dye-albumin (EBD-albumin) uptake were correlated with experimentally-imposed intimal surface shear stress vector fields in the well chambers of an in vitro arterial organ support system. Statistical correlation techniques indicated that both shear stress magnitudes and shear stress directions affect the endothelial permeability to EBD-albumin. The present data suggest that acute exposure to increased shear stress magnitudes (20-120 dynes/cm2) are strongly correlated with increases in endothelial permeability at each site on the surface when the shear stress vectors are aligned with the longitudinal axis of the former in vivo flow along the vessel. If, however, the shear stress vectors deviate significantly from this axis, e.g., 90°, this linear correlation was lost, and permeability was generally increased at all sites on the well surface, even at sites of relatively lower stress magnitudes.

Duke Scholars

Author Morton Friedman Biomedical Engineering