Fluid shear stress gradient induces inflammatory response in vascular endothelial cells in bifurcated flow channels

Abstract

In this study, we designed a bifurcated flow channel with a bifurcation angle of 140° and successfully generated a shear stress gradient (SSG) of 280–4800 Pa/m without vortex formation. In areas with high SSG, the cultured endothelial cells (ECs) remained round and randomly oriented even after 24 h of flow exposure. In addition, increased expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1, a marker of inflammatory response in ECs, was observed. Overall, our findings revealed that disturbed and directional changes caused by flow and wall SSG induce inflammatory responses in ECs.