Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Du, Sarah

Abstract

Human red blood cells (RBCs) must undergo severe deformation to pass through narrow capillaries and submicronic splenic slits for several hundred thousand times in their normal lifespan. Studies of RBC biomechanics have been mainly focused on cell deformability measured from a single application of stress using classical biomechanical techniques, such as optical tweezers and micropipette aspiration. Mechanical fatigue effect on RBCs under cyclic loadings of stress that contributes to the membrane failure in blood circulation is not fully understood. This research developed a new experimental method for mechanical fatigue testing of RBCs using amplitude-modulated electro-deformation technique. Biomechanical parameters of individually tracked RBCs show strong correlations with the number of the loading cycles. Effects of loading configurations on the cellular fatigue behavior of RBCs is further studied. The results uniquely establish the important role of mechanical fatigue in influencing physical properties of biological cells. They further provide insights into the accumulated membrane damage during blood circulation, paving the way for further investigations of the eventual failure of RBCs in various hemolytic pathologies.

Extent

96 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00013340

Format

pdf

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