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Flow and mixing induced by single, colinear, and colliding contractile waves in the intestine

Richard J. Amedzrovi Agbesi and Nicolas R. Chevalier
Phys. Rev. Fluids 7, 043101 – Published 15 April 2022
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Abstract

Smooth muscle-lined organs like the gut, the ureter, and the fallopian tubes transport matter by generating traveling contractile waves. Intestinal peristalsis is characterized by rhythmic trains of shallow, low-amplitude myogenic waves and high-amplitude, lumen-obliterating neurogenic waves. In this paper, we develop a simple analytical Poiseuille-flow model to predict the flow rates induced by these different contractions as a function of all relevant wave parameters, and compare them to a numerical fluid-solid finite element model. We rationalize experimentally observed bolus to-and-fro motion induced by shallow myogenic waves. We show that occluding waves induce considerable bolus mixing due to an upstream vortex. We then investigate the hydrodynamics induced by two waves propagating either in the same direction (colinear) or in opposite directions, as happens in the digestive tract. For colinear waves, we find that the bolus reflux is maximal at a distance between successive myogenic waves close to the one observed physiologically. Colliding waves create a high pressure region that gives rise to rapid fluid flow, high shear stress, and radial mixing upon annihilation. Our paper provides fundamental insight on the fluid dynamics (reflux, propulsion, and mixing) generated by different contraction patterns of the intestine.

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  • Received 11 November 2021
  • Accepted 16 March 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.7.043101

©2022 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Fluid DynamicsPhysics of Living Systems

Video

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Intestinal Waves Move Food To and Fro

Published 15 April 2022

Translucent intestines reveal the unsteady motion of food moving through our guts.

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Authors & Affiliations

Richard J. Amedzrovi Agbesi* and Nicolas R. Chevalier

  • Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes UMR 7057/ Université Paris Cité, 10 Rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75013 Paris, France

  • *richard-junior.amedzrovi-agbesi@parisdescartes.fr
  • nicolas.chevalier@paris7.jussieu.fr

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Issue

Vol. 7, Iss. 4 — April 2022

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