Mesoscale modelling of fibrin clots: the interplay between rheology and microstructure at the gel point

Abstract

This study presents a numerical model for incipient fibrin-clot formation that captures characteristic rheological and microstructural features of the clot at the gel point. Using a mesoscale-clustering framework, we evaluate the effect of gel concentration or gel volume fraction and branching on the fractal dimension, the gel time, and the viscoelastic properties of the clots. We show that variations in the gel concentration of our model can reproduce the effect of thrombin in the formation of fibrin clots. In particular, the model reproduces the fractal dimension's dependency on gel concentration and the trends in elasticity and gelation time with varying thrombin concentrations. This approach allows us to accurately recreate the gelation point of fibrin–thrombin gels, highlighting the intricate process of fibrin polymerization and gel network formation. This is critical for applications in the clinical and bioengineering fields where precise control over the gelation process is required.