Mechanics of Cell Rolling Adhesion in Shear Flow

Leukocyte rolling along endothelial cells is a critical step of leukocyte-endothelium interaction, which plays important roles in tissue inflammation and wound healing [1]. The occurrence of rolling results from the dynamic balance of hemodynamic shearing force acting on the cell and adhesive bond force between cell and endothelium, while the balance strongly depends on the leukocyte deformability [2]. The objective of this study is to elucidate the effects of (1) hydrodynamic shear stress, (2) cell deformation, and (3) surface adhesion strength on the rolling adhesion event through in vitro experiment and theoretical simulation.