Cell Behavior Under Blood Flow

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 386

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Blood Bank, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
Interests: hematology; blood banking; transfusion medicine; red cell storage lesion

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: viscoelasticity of multicellular systems; biophysics; biomechanics; effects along biointerfaces

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Guest Editor
Biochemistry Department, The Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
Interests: red blood cells; RBC deformability; RBC fragility; RBC storage; biorheology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Blood components and endothelial cells encounter varying levels of shear (mechanical) stress during circulation. In vivo, shear stress can range from a few Pa to 20–50 Pa in an artery with a stenotic lesion. Exposure to elevated levels of mechanical stress can lead to subcellular structural changes due to cell strain, potentially resulting in alterations in membrane composition and biochemical and biophysical properties. All these cellular changes can ultimately initiate cell injury and dysfunction. 

Accordingly, studying cellular responses to applied mechanical stress holds fundamental significance. In this Issue, we aim to compile reports of new research addressing the effects of mechanical stress on the functioning of cells in the bloodstream. We encourage the submission of papers that allow readers to explore this topic from biochemical and biophysical perspectives, focusing on the molecular mechanisms involved. We encourage scholars to employ a variety of methods to solve the research problem, ranging from theoretical and experimental to numerical.

Dr. Alexander Gural
Dr. Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic
Dr. Gregory Barshtein
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • blood flow
  • shear stress
  • red blood cells
  • white blood cells
  • platelets
  • endothelial cells
  • cell stimulation
  • mechanical stress

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

14 pages, 595 KiB  
Review
The Mechanical Properties of Erythrocytes Are Influenced by the Conformational State of Albumin
by Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic, Milan Milivojevic, Gregory Barshtein and Alexander Gural
Cells 2025, 14(15), 1139; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14151139 - 24 Jul 2025
Viewed by 321
Abstract
The mechanical stability and deformability of erythrocytes are vital for their function as they traverse capillaries, where shear stress can reach up to 10 Pa under physiological conditions. Human serum albumin (HSA) is known to help maintain erythrocyte stability by influencing cell shape, [...] Read more.
The mechanical stability and deformability of erythrocytes are vital for their function as they traverse capillaries, where shear stress can reach up to 10 Pa under physiological conditions. Human serum albumin (HSA) is known to help maintain erythrocyte stability by influencing cell shape, membrane integrity, and resistance to hemolysis. However, the precise mechanisms by which albumin exerts these effects remain debated, with some studies indicating a stabilizing role and others suggesting the opposite. This review highlights that under high shear rates, albumin molecules may undergo unfolding due to normal stress differences. Such structural changes can significantly alter albumin’s interactions with the erythrocyte membrane, thereby affecting cell mechanical stability. We discuss two potential scenarios explaining how albumin influences erythrocyte mechanics under shear stress, considering both the viscoelastic properties of blood and those of the erythrocyte membrane. Based on theoretical analyses and experimental evidence from the literature, we propose that albumin’s effect on erythrocyte mechanical stability depends on (i) the transition between unfolded and folded states of the protein and (ii) the impact of shear stress on the erythrocyte membrane’s ζ-potential. Understanding these factors is essential for elucidating the complex relationship between albumin and erythrocyte mechanics in physiological and pathological conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cell Behavior Under Blood Flow)
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