title: Fluctuation of cilia-generated flow on the surface of the tracheal lumen.
abstract: Although we inhale air that contains many harmful substances, including, for example, dust and viruses, these small particles are trapped on the surface of the tracheal lumen and transported towards the larynx by cilia-generated flow. The transport phenomena are affected not only by the time- and space-average flow field but also by the fluctuation of the flow. Because flow fluctuation has received little attention, we investigated it experimentally in mice. To understand the origin of flow fluctuation, we first measured the distribution of ciliated cells in the trachea and individual ciliary motions. We then measured the detailed flow field using a confocal micro-PTV system. Strong flow fluctuations were observed, caused by the unsteadiness of the ciliary beat and the spatial inhomogeneity of ciliated cells. The spreading of particles relative to the bulk motion became diffusive if the time scale was sufficiently larger than the beat period. Finally, we quantified the effects of flow fluctuation on bulk flow by evaluating the Peclet number of the system, which indicated that the directional transport was an order of magnitude larger than the isotropic diffusion. These results are important in understanding transport phenomena in the airways on a cellular scale.
authors: Dept. of Bioengineering and Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku Univ., 6-6-01, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan. ishikawa@pfsl.mech.tohoku.ac.jp.
authors: Kouki
authors: K
authors: Kiyota
authors: Hironori
authors: H
authors: Ueno
authors: Keiko
authors: K
authors: Numayama-Tsuruta
authors: Tomofumi
authors: T
authors: Haga
authors: Yohsuke
authors: Y
authors: Imai
authors: Takami
authors: T
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Takuji
authors: T
authors: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D002923:Cilia / Q000502:physiology*; D004058:Diffusion; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008954:Models, Biological; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012212:Rheology; D014132:Trachea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes
keywords: cilia; fluid mechanics; mixing; particle tracking velocimetry; transport phenomena