Effect of Pulsatile Shear Flow on Migration of Endothelial Cells Cultured on Tube

The effect of pulsatile shear flow on migration of endothelial cells was investigated in vitro. The inner surface of the silicone tube was sputtered in a vacuum to change the surface character from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, and coated with collagen gel. The endothelial cells of rat's descending aorta were cultured on the inner surface of the test tube. Two types of shear flow were applied to the endothelial cells: a continuous flow powered by a peristaltic roller pump, and a pulsatile flow powered by a diaphragm pump. The behavior of cells was observed through the tube wall by a phase contrast microscope. In pulsatile flow, the cells did not peel off at the mean shear rate of 15 1/s in 60 minutes. The change in orientation of cell occurs gradually with repeating peel off at the corner of the cell. The cultured endothelial cells on the collagen-coated wall of silicone rubber tube with sputtering did not peel off in pulsatile shear flow at 37 degrees C for 24 hours. The experimental results show that the longitudinal axes of the cells tilt toward the flow direction and that pulsatile flow may have an advantage for migration of cells