Modeling the effect of alternating shear levels on the uptake of albumin by the porcine iliac arteries

Experiments are being carried out in swine to test the hypothesis that changes in the fluid dynamic environment of the arterial wall, with time constants of several minutes to perhaps a few hours, prompt adaptive responses that transiently increase endothelial permeability. After parenteral Evans Blue Dye (EBD) administration, the hemodynamics of the external iliac arteries of the experimental animals are altered using a reversible arteriovenous femoral shunt. For 3h, the shunt is opened and closed with a period (P) between 1-180 min. Subsequently, the animal is euthanized and the iliac vessels are photographed en face to obtain the distribution of EBD-bound albumin uptake by the tissue during its exposure to the dye. Albumin uptake increases with P in a fashion that can be explained by an a priori model of the adaptive permeability response, with a time constant of about an hour.

Duke Scholars

Author Morton Friedman Biomedical Engineering