Elasto-inertial focusing and particle migration in high aspect ratio microchannels for highthroughput separation

The combination of flow elasticity and inertia has emerged as a viable tool for focusing and manipulating particles using microfluidics.Although there is considerable interest in the field of elasto-inertial microfluidics owing to its potential applications,research on particle focusing has been mostly limited to low Reynolds numbers(Re<1),and particle migration toward equilibrium positions has not been extensively examined.In this work,we thoroughly studied particle focusing on the dynamic range of flow rates and particle migration using straight microchannels with a single inlet high aspect ratio.We initially explored several parameters that had an impact on particle focusing,such as the particle size,channel dimensions,concentration of viscoelastic fluid,and flow rate.Our experimental work covered a wide range of dimensionless numbers(0.05<Reynolds number<85,1.5<Weissenberg number<3800,5<Elasticity number<470)using 3,5,7,and 10μm particles.Our results showed that the particle size played a dominant role,and by tuning the parameters,particle focusing could be achieved at Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.2(1μL/min)to 85(250μL/min).Furthermore,we numerically and experimentally studied particle migration and reported differential particle migration for high-resolution separations of 5μm,7μm and 10μm particles in a sheathless flow at a throughput of 150μL/min.Our work elucidates the complex particle transport in elasto-inertial flows and has great potential for the development of high-throughput and high-resolution particle separation for biomedical and environmental applications.

In vivo antiplasmodial potential of three herbal methanolic extracts in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei NK65

Objective: The present study deals with the investigation of antiplasmodial potential of leaf methanolic extract of Aegle marmelos, Aristolochia indica and Cassia auriculata against Plasmodium berghei(NK65)infected mice.Methods: The chloroquine-sensitive parasites P. berghei(1 × 106) were inoculated into Swiss albino mice intraperitoneally. The methanol extracts of three herbal plants were orally administered in P. berghei infected mice which were further assessed using the four-day suppressive test at different doses of 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg per day. Chloroquine(CQ) was used as the standard drug with of 1.25, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg concentrations and was orally administered.Results: The leaves of A. marmelos, A. indica, and C. auriculata were found to suppress P. berghei parasitaemia in Swiss albino mice by(67.0 ± 4.02)%,(72.0 ± 8.44)% and(52.7 ± 2.06)% at 600 mg/kg/d with ED50 values of 284.73, 233.77 and 562.48 mg/kg, respectively. These herbal plants increased the mean survival time of infected mice and prevented body weight loss. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of hentriacontan-16-one(C31 H62 O) in A. indica extract. The histopathology study showed non-toxic to kidney and liver at 600 mg/kg/body weight.Conclusions: Overall results revealed that herbal plants may be active in the development of novel and cheap antimalarial compounds.