Investigation of Red Blood Cell Microcirculation Using the DLVO Theory

Abstract

The study of blood microcirculation has revealed specific properties that distinguish blood fromNewtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. These anomalies cannot be fully explained by conventionalhydrodynamic or rheological models alone. While the viscous incompressible fluid model describes blood flowwell in vessels with diameters exceeding 300 µm, capillaries below this threshold exhibit non-classical flowbehavior, the underlying physical mechanisms of which remain an active area of investigation. In this work,blood is modeled as a multiphase physicochemical system, represented as a suspension of cellular elements inplasma. The cellular components, particularly erythrocytes, are treated as part of an electrostatic system, wheretheir electrical characteristics are determined not by discrete surface charges, but by the zeta potential -theelectrokinetic potential at the interface between the erythrocyte membrane and the plasma. Microcirculatorydynamics are analyzed through the framework of DLVO theory. A quantitative assessment of red blood cellmotion in capillaries is presented, incorporating resistance forces, hydrodynamic pressure, and gradients inelectrostatic potential. The results indicate that mechanical and electrical factors substantially influencemicrocirculatory flow, affecting erythrocyte deformation and orientation, and inducing a directional electrostaticforce gradient that governs cell movement in narrow capillaries.